Irom Sharmila re-arrested on charges of attempt to commit suicide

Imphal: Indian police on Friday rearrested Irom Sharmila, a woman who has been on hunger strike for 14 years to protest against rights abuses, just two days after she was released on the orders of a court.

Television footage showed officers forcibly removing Irom Sharmila, known as the Iron Lady of Manipur, for her unwavering and non-violent protest.

“A group of women police arrived at the makeshift protest venue and forcibly took her away,” local activist Janaki Devi told AFP.

“They said she was arrested for refusing to eat, which according to authorities is tantamount to attempted suicide.”

Police said she would be taken to a prison hospital in Imphal, the capital of northeastern Manipur state, and force fed via nasal drip.

“We cannot let her die,” a senior police official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Sharmila began her hunger strike in November 2000 after witnessing the army kill 10 people at a bus stop near her home in Manipur, which is subject to the draconian Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA).

AFSPA, which covers large parts of northeastern India and the restive state of Kashmir, gives Indian forces sweeping powers to search, enter property and shoot on sight, and is seen by critics as a cover for human rights abuses.

She was released from the prison hospital on Wednesday, a day after a Manipur court ruled that a longstanding criminal charge against her of attempting suicide was unsustainable.

The lower sessions court ruled that the fast by Sharmila, who insists she is not trying to take her own life, is a “political protest through lawful means”.

However, the court said in Tuesday’s judgment that the state government “may take appropriate measures for her health and safety” such as continuing with feeding her through her nose if she continues to fast.