Book on Irom Sharmila's struggle released

Mumbai, March 9:

's Iron Lady

Chanu's struggle has been penned by writer and filmmaker Minnie Vaid. The 40 year old peace activist has been on a hunger strike for the last 12 years for repeal of the 'draconian'

(AFSPA). The book, Iron Irom: Two journeys, was released at Kitab Khana on Friday by actor Abhay Deol.

"Irom's story has been written in a first-person account and in a non-intellectual way so that people can easily understand and get involved in her cause," writer and filmmaker Minnie Vaid was quoted saying.

"The book is an introduction to Manipur and the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) and the army atrocities because of it. No amount of books written on her are enough. People need to think about her and engage with her issues. The movement has to be to repeal AFSPA," Vaid was quoted saying.

Also, a group of 60 plus artists from various parts of the country have designed postcards to express their solidarity towards her struggle.

Sharmila started her hunger strike in Nov 2000 after the "Malom Massacre" an where 10 innocent persons were killed by personnel of the Assam Rifles. Thereafter she was arrested by the police and when her condition began to deteriorate, she was transferred to the Jawaharlal Institute of Medical Sciences where she is force fed. The law under which Sharmila is detained allows the police to detain her for a year, after which she is released. Since she refuses to break her world-record fast, she is again arrested and then produced in court every 15 days for the extension of her custody.

She has been the recipient of several awards including the Gwangju Prize for Human Rights in 2007 and the Rabindranath Tagore Peace Prize in 2010.

OneIndia News