Irom Sharmila's Fast Covered by BBC

Irom Sharmila Chanu's Marathon 6 year long marathon fast has been picked up by BBC. She's been fasting for about 6 years now as a protest against the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFSPA, which gives sweeping powers to the army in the state.

She says,"My fast is on behalf of the people of Manipur. This is not a personal battle"

On hunger strike since 2000, Irom Sharmila Chanu is being force-fed through a pipe in her nose on the orders of the state administration.

The 35-year-old is an iconic figure in Manipur's politics. She completes six years of fasting in November, in what is perhaps the longest such political protest ever recorded.

Sharmila is demanding the repeal of the controversial Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFSPA, which gives sweeping powers to the army in the state.

Manipur, with a population of 30 million, has been administered by the Indian army since 1980 and human rights organisations often describe the army's powers as "draconian".

Atrocity

While the government maintains that the law is necessary to restore normalcy in a state racked by a militant secessionist movement, civil society groups allege gross human rights violations by the army.

[BBC news]
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