Fifteen years ago India woke into a new dawn of struggle in the northeastern state of India. The struggle was against a draconian law – Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).
AFSPA was a draconian Act passed by the Parliament of India in 1958. It was applied to the seven sister states in India. The Act empowers armed forces to use lethal forces against any person who is acting in contravention of any law and order, destroy shelters or training camps from which armed attacks are likely to made, arrest any person without warrant on suspense.
The law gives guaranty that no prosecution, suit or other legal proceedings shall be instituted against the personnel.
AFSPA violates the fundamental and constitutional rights of right to life, liberty, freedom of speech and expression, peaceful assembly, free movement, and so on. The devastated the lives in the northeastern states of India.
On November 2nd 2000 Irom Chanu Sharmila – The Iron Lady of Modern India started indefinite hunger strike to repeal the Act.
She was 28 when she started the crusade and now she is 43. Sadly her most glorious years of womanhood had perished, but could not change the fate of governance.
After a decade and half, governments have changed, consultations were done, yet the establishments failed to come out with a logical conclusion. But she was arrested and charged with an ‘attempt to commit suicide’. 2015 also becomes a painful year in her struggle.
The door to the freedom and human rights are locked by the establishments. May be we can break but will be branded as “anti-national”. Let’s ride on the virtue of patience. Because we are living in India where cows are not killed but in the name of cows humans are killed.. !!!
