'Iron lady' Irom Sharmila urges Manipur's women to unite and bring peace, appeals to PM and HM to visit state

Civil rights activist Irom Sharmila Chanu has called upon the women of Manipur to work together to restore peace to the strife-torn state, regardless of their ethnic background. The 'Iron Lady' also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah to visit Manipur to understand the issues at hand and address them.

The activist, who had previously undergone a record-breaking hunger strike lasting 16 years during which she was force-fed through a tube, was the face of a women's movement in the state working towards peace. The movement had sought the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, which empowered security forces to arrest individuals without warrants and shoot them without magisterial oversight.

There have been media reports of Kuki women forming human chains in Churachandpur town to protect people of the Meitei community from a riotous mob and assist them in escaping on board army vehicles, as well as similar incidents in Imphal town where Meitei women helped tribal students to safety.

Irom Sharmila stated that sending more troops to the state, which has seen ethnic riots between majority Meities and tribes such as Kukis and Nagas, "will not help the situation." She urged "PM Modi, Home Minister, or the Chief Justice of India to visit Manipur, understand the problems, find out the root cause, and then address them."

Nearly 10,000 army, para-military, and central police forces have been deployed in the state, where riots broke out after tribals, including Kukis and Nagas, organized demonstrations against a move to give the majority Meitei community scheduled tribe status. Meiteis account for around 53% of the population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, account for another 40% of the population and live mainly in the hill districts that surround the valley.

Irom Sharmila also stated that the central government should work to bridge the gap between people from the rest of India and the northeastern states. "If the center wants India's true integrity and wants a united India, they must bridge the gap between people from the rest of India and the northeastern states. There is still discrimination and looking down on people from the northeastern states," she added.