For the past 30-odd years Manipur, home to over 30 militant groups and bitter ethnic strife, has known just one way to settle disputes: through the barrel of the gun. So when someone undertakes a non-violent protest for six years, the state sits up and takes notice. Irom Sharmila Chanu has, since November 2000, refused food and water in protest against the imposition of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (1958) in her state — and today occupies a unique position among her people.

The “Iron Lady Of Manipur” has now shifted base to Delhi, seeking a better platform to make her voice heard and her protest to take effect — and, ironically, to show the national capital that Gandhian protest is still alive. Indeed, her only excursion beyond Jantar Mantar has been to Rajghat, to pay homage to the Mahatma.

While the capital’s Manipuri population makes a beeline for her, the state government — which has kept her alive for six years by force-feeding her through the nose — is probably heaving a private sigh of relief. Should anything happen to her now, their slate is clean. It’s another matter that if Sharmila dies, and it’s a distinct possibility, Manipur will burn. By living, she’s kept in check the outrage against the AFSPA. She gives hope. If she should die fasting, her cause and the circumstances of her death could well lead to another June 18-like uprising. The Manipur government realised this, and made sure she stayed alive as long as she was in Manipur.

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