Delhi discriminated between Sharmila & Anna

ejazr

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http://articles.timesofindia.indiat...454_1_anna-hazare-irom-sharmila-hunger-strike

IMPHAL: Anti-Afspa crusader Irom Sharmila's elder brother, Irom Singhajit Singh, on Monday alleged that the Centre had discriminated between Anna Hazare and his sister while dealing with the issues they have been fighting for.

Singhajit said although New Delhi conceded to the Gandhian's demand in just four days, "it didn't bother to consider the fast being carried out by Sharmila for the last 10 years, seeking repeal of the military Act which gives unbridled powers to the armed forces even to the extent of shooting a person on mere suspicion".

He added, "My sister has completed 10 years of her struggle against the oppressive military Act and she is still continuing with her crusade. But no one has taken a serious note of the issue. She is fighting in a democratic manner for the people of the country who have been victimized by the Act."

The entire country was shaken when Hazare began his fast in New Delhi and in no time the Centre complied with his demand. Singhajit said, "We, in fact, truly support and laud Hazare's campaign against corruption. But Sharmila's decade-old fast to save innocent people from the atrocities of the armed forces has been totally ignored. We feel bad at such a discriminatory attitude towards the people of the northeast."

Echoing him, Nimaichand Luwang, the president of Manipur People's Party (MPP), said the failure of Sharmila's campaign against AFSPA and the abrupt acceptance of Hazare's demand following his brief hunger strike gives a clear message that people living in Manipur have been neglected by the Centre.

"Notwithstanding this, we, in the MPP, fully support Hazare's strong campaign against corruption. We need thousands of Hazares in Manipur where corruption is rampant," said Luwang, a former minister.

The state unit of the BJP, too, expressed dissatisfaction over the Centre's approach on Sharmila. "When Sharmila staged her hunger strike in New Delhi a few years ago, she was arrested and sent to Manipur. But Hazare, who took the same step at the same place, was not arrested. Instead, the Centre complied with his demand," said Laimayum Basanta Sharma, secretary (media cell) of the saffron party's state unit.
 

ejazr

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For people who don't know about Irom Sharmila, this would be shocking to know that she has been on a Fast unto death for almost 10 years now. Another article on this from last year. I am surprised that I never heard about her before. Shows how one sided TV media can be.

Irom Sharmila's 10-year-fast is ignored

Isn't it ironic and smacks of the Centre's double standards? One person in Andhra Pradesh fasts for ten days and Centre relents. Another person fasts in Manipur for nine years and more, supported by the relay fast of thousands of other women for one year now, and what does the Centre do? NOTHING. Wah, wah, Indian democracy!! Not proud to be an Indian".

This is a message sent to some of us by a woman journalist friend in Manipur. Indeed, if you are looking at what they call "mainland" India from the distant Northeast, it must seem strange that a 10-day-fast can result in talks for a separate state for Telangana but a 10-year-fast to demand the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) from Manipur results in nothing.

Irom Sharmila, that iconic 36-year-old Manipuri woman, has spent the best part of almost 10 years being force fed against her will. She has undertaken a fast-unto-death demanding the withdrawal of the AFSPA.

Each year, the ritual is played out. Her period of detention for attempting suicide is one year. The authorities have to release her, usuallyin early March. She leaves the Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital in Imphal where she is incarcerated and being force fed through a tube shoved down her nose.

Earlier this year, many of us were witness to the moving moment when this pale young woman emerged from the hospital and was virtually carried by hundreds of older Manipuri woman who have been on a relay hunger strike in support, to the shamiana where they sit all day and all night in solidarity. Sharmila began speaking as she gained a little strength. But she would not give up her fast. So two days later she was rearrested and once again moved to the hospital.

And while this annual arrest and rearrest ritual continues, Manipur — and particularly Imphal — is caught in a permanent spiral of violence. For many months now, since the July 23 "encounter" killing of a young man, Chongkham Sanjit in broad daylight in Imphal's busy market area (exposed by Tehelka through a series of photographs), the capital of Manipur has not been "normal". People are demanding that the killers of this young man be prosecuted. But AFSPA gives the security forces impunity. Their powers to act cannot be questioned.

As a result, there has been a civil strike that has immobilised the city. For months children have not attended school or college. There is violence, curfew and an aggravation of the perennial shortages that this land-locked city not far from the border of Myanmar faces even in so-called normal times. The 25 lakh citizens of the state of Manipur have seen little or no development for years while the rest of India, apparently, marches ahead. So my Manipuri friends have a right to ask why some fasts in the "mainland" yield results while their protests are never heard. Or if they are, then the result is promises that are never kept. Prime minister Manmohan Singh raised some hopes in 2004 when he went to Imphal and promised that the withdrawal of AFSPA would be considered.

He set up a committee headed by Supreme Court judge BP Jeevan Reddy to look into the issue. The committee strongly recommended that the Act be withdrawn pointing out that the Act, "for whatever reason, has become a symbol of oppression, an object of hate and an instrument of discrimination and high-handedness". But nothing happened. The promise was forgotten, the recommendation ignored. The Telangana issue has triggered a series of demands for separate states. The people of Gorkhaland have begun fasts, others are threatening to do so. But in the midst of all this fasting, we would do well to pause and think why only the demands of our "mainland" matter while the "periphery" — places like Manipur — are ignored, forgotten and rendered virtually invisible.
 

anand_6869

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People like the woman mentioned here are usually brainwashed by the anti Indian elements in order to tarnish the image of the Armed forced and achieve their narrow political gains, Remove the army and paramilitary from the northeast and watch the Northease descend into chaos,
most of the soldiers of Assam rifles are from the North east itself they arent outsiders imposing on north east citizens but the same northeast people those soldiers who have created this controversy are soldiers and officers who dont follow orders and go against their prescribed code of duty, most of these cases are really old around 10 to 20 years old and are being brought to the front to demean our Armed forces,
There has been barely a single incident recently due to some undisciplined idiotic soldier of the Indian, compare that to the track record of the UNLF or PLA rebels and you know who is the real villain is.
People like irom Sharmila are used simply as tools to demean the Indian armed forces and promote support for groups with vested interests, most of these anti Indian pro northeast insurgents who paint a rosy picture of themselves as saviors of the northeast are all just a bunch of extortionists who don't even think twice about shooting down a shopkeeper or businessman who doesnt pay them their so called security charge.
If it wasn't for the Indian army the whole of Northeast would be in pure chaos and the Irom sharmilas case would be the same as that of the Tibetans in china under chinese communism.

One or two rotten apples do not represent the 1.3 million brave soldiers and officers of the Indian army. Remember no young soldier wants to leave his family to go away and serve in some inhospitable jungle or icy wasteland , he does it because he knows the the lives of over a billion people depend on it.
 
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Marius Saturninus

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People like the woman mentioned here are usually brainwashed by the anti Indian elements in order to tarnish the image of the Armed forced and achieve their narrow political gains, Remove the army and paramilitary from the northeast and watch the Northease descend into chaos,
Yes, without army chaos will prevail. BUT the army is not a saint either. there have been hundreds of rape cases. Army should punish the gulity jawans and officers and only then would there be support for the army, and hence GoI, from the common people. The Army is quite brutal in states like manipur, assam and nagaland. add, the paramilitary forces in the list too.

most of the soldiers of Assam rifles are from the North east itself they arent outsiders imposing on north east citizens but the same northeast people those soldiers who have created this controversy are soldiers and officers who dont follow orders and go against their prescribed code of duty, most of these cases are really old around 10 to 20 years old and are being brought to the front to demean our Armed forces,
most of AR jawans are nepalees and non-north easterners, and almost all its officers are from outside the region. The armed foces are at fault, the sooner the people of india ackowledges, the better it would be.

There has been barely a single incident recently due to some undisciplined idiotic soldier of the Indian, compare that to the track record of the UNLF or PLA rebels and you know who is the real villain is.
sure, but its the job of the army to be responsible. it is not doing any favour by not indulging in anything that is detremental to its own image. they're called saviors of the nations and its citizens for a reason and the PLA/UNLF as militants/terrorists/insurgents.

People like irom Sharmila are used simply as tools to demean the Indian armed forces and promote support for groups with vested interests, most of these anti Indian pro northeast insurgents who paint a rosy picture of themselves as saviors of the northeast are all just a bunch of extortionists who don't even think twice about shooting down a shopkeeper or businessman who doesnt pay them their so called security charge.
Contrary to what you claim, Ms. Sharmila isn't supported by any group.

One or two rotten apples do not represent the 1.3 million brave soldiers and officers of the Indian army. Remember no young soldier wants to leave his family to go away and serve in some inhospitable jungle or icy wasteland , he does it because he knows the the lives of over a billion people depend on it.
Absolutely right. Now, he better behave with girls of these 'jungles' as he would behave with his sisters.
 

mayfair

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Delhi also discriminated between Ramdev fast and the Jat/Gujjar agitations

Delhi Allowed Geelani, Suzaane, Vara Vara Rao etc. to spew venom at India in Delhi, came down hard on the rally to hoist tricolour in Srinagar

West Bengal government welcomed Qutubuddin Ansari, a Gujrat riots victim to settle in Calcutta "to save him from persecution and live in freedom" yet Tasleema Nasreen was hounded out for "legal reasons"

Same govt. eagerly allowed anti-US/"anti-imperialist"/Palestine solidarity protests at any time or day in Kolkata but cracked down on Tibetans protesting Chinese occupation of their homeland

Chaman mein aur bhi phool hain Ghalib.
 

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Ejaz, Irom Sharmila has been covered by the press on regular intervals and has not been ignored by the mainstream media. Sitting here in Delhi I have been reading about her in both TOI as well as Indian Express.

Hers is a tragic case and the Govt needs to look into it immediately and resolve it in a transparent way.
 

ejazr

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@sob

I have only started to read about her after the first Anna Hazare fast campaign. The article I posted is from April.

@mayfair
The comparison is how the govt. reacts to a person going on a fast unto death. None of the examples you gave have anything to do with self-starvation as a means to get govt. concessions or consideration. Let alone an act that has been ongoing for ten to eleven years now. The govt. doesn't have to revoke AFSPA, but atleast have they tried to negotiate with her? What about the state govt.? What message does this attitude send to other Manipuris?

Just something to think and reflect about.
 

sob

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Ejazr: Maybe the newspapers in Hyderabad and Australia may not be carrying much information on NE as a regular practice, but here I keep on reading articles in newspapers, though sporadically.

Although since I have spent my childhood in Eastern India, have many friends from NE, that could be areason that I follow the news from that side.
 

mayfair

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@sob

I have only started to read about her after the first Anna Hazare fast campaign. The article I posted is from April.

@mayfair
The comparison is how the govt. reacts to a person going on a fast unto death. None of the examples you gave have anything to do with self-starvation as a means to get govt. concessions or consideration. Let alone an act that has been ongoing for ten to eleven years now. The govt. doesn't have to revoke AFSPA, but atleast have they tried to negotiate with her? What about the state govt.? What message does this attitude send to other Manipuris?

Just something to think and reflect about.
The point I was trying to make is that these governments give a damn whether someone fasts to death or starves to death, unless it suits them politically. Yes the government should have considered negotiating with Irom Sharmila, yet they did not because they saw no benefits there. They negotiated with Anna Hazare because the situation was turning out to be politically toxic for them.

They cracked down on Ramdev because the agitation may have turned out politically disadvantageous. They pampered Gujjars and Jats who blocked rail lines because police action would have been politically disastrous.

Farmers are committing suicides daily and yet these governments are apathetic as ever. What message does that send out to the common man? Gives the common folk a lot to think and reflect about.
 

S.A.T.A

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Delhi only lends ears and heart when any issue appear to spontaneously resonate with the indian pubic.Anna and Baba's agitation were on issues that marked high stakes for the Indian society,pertaining to accountability of the public funds.Irom Sharmila's cause,notwithstanding its merit,hardly resonates with the people of India,they consider the insurgency in manipur,and NE in general,as far more crucial and Sharmilas' agitation aides the insurgents cause.

P.S:Just curious how can somebody, in principle atleast, 'starve to death' for well over 10 tears,this invokes a sense of insincerity.
 

sob

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SATA apparently she has been a guest of the Govt. for a significant majority period of time and is force fed there.

But in this case it speaks a lot of about out of sight out of mind mentality of the different Govt.s in Delhi. NE has always been a punishment posting for the Babudom and since it does not contribute much in numbers of seats at the LS it does not really count in the corridors of Delhi.
 

jyoti rathi

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The point I was trying to make is that these governments give a damn whether someone fasts to death or starves to death, unless it suits them politically. Yes the government should have considered negotiating with Irom Sharmila, yet they did not because they saw no benefits there. They negotiated with Anna Hazare because the situation was turning out to be politically toxic for them.

They cracked down on Ramdev because the agitation may have turned out politically disadvantageous. They pampered Gujjars and Jats who blocked rail lines because police action would have been politically disastrous.

Farmers are committing suicides daily and yet these governments are apathetic as ever. What message does that send out to the common man? Gives the common folk a lot to think and reflect about.
I agree to u mayfair regarding the manipulative govt. In case of baba they started the corruption done by him because of all the trust he is having , here also you can read in newspaper about the politician showing a doubt over the support which is coming on all these networking sites and web as such. Even to the extent that they have gone mad and trying to find out why US is interested in this protest................" barbad gullistan karne ko bas ek hi ullu kafi hai , yahan toh har shakh par ullu bethe hai , anjame gullistan kya hoga"
 

Param

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SATA apparently she has been a guest of the Govt. for a significant majority period of time and is force fed there.

But in this case it speaks a lot of about out of sight out of mind mentality of the different Govt.s in Delhi. NE has always been a punishment posting for the Babudom and since it does not contribute much in numbers of seats at the LS it does not really count in the corridors of Delhi.
Hail Shamocracy!
Extremely diverse countries that believe in the Tyranny of a "majority" and subjugation & neglect of ethnic minorities are not Democracies but Shamocracies.
 

Param

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People like the woman mentioned here are usually brainwashed by the anti Indian elements in order to tarnish the image of the Armed forced and achieve their narrow political gains, Remove the army and paramilitary from the northeast and watch the Northease descend into chaos,
most of the soldiers of Assam rifles are from the North east itself they arent outsiders imposing on north east citizens but the same northeast people those soldiers who have created this controversy are soldiers and officers who dont follow orders and go against their prescribed code of duty, most of these cases are really old around 10 to 20 years old and are being brought to the front to demean our Armed forces,
There has been barely a single incident recently due to some undisciplined idiotic soldier of the Indian, compare that to the track record of the UNLF or PLA rebels and you know who is the real villain is.
People like irom Sharmila are used simply as tools to demean the Indian armed forces and promote support for groups with vested interests, most of these anti Indian pro northeast insurgents who paint a rosy picture of themselves as saviors of the northeast are all just a bunch of extortionists who don't even think twice about shooting down a shopkeeper or businessman who doesnt pay them their so called security charge.
If it wasn't for the Indian army the whole of Northeast would be in pure chaos and the Irom sharmilas case would be the same as that of the Tibetans in china under chinese communism.

One or two rotten apples do not represent the 1.3 million brave soldiers and officers of the Indian army. Remember no young soldier wants to leave his family to go away and serve in some inhospitable jungle or icy wasteland , he does it because he knows the the lives of over a billion people depend on it.
And because he is also paid well and protected by the Law from prosecution by civilian courts.
 

Phenom

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Saying Delhi discriminated against Sharmile is incorrect, if possible the govt would have been equally ruthless against Anna as it was against Sharmila. But the govt couldn't afford to do that to Anna because he has public support across India, while Irom Sharmila does not, unfortunately people support only those causes that directly affect them.

But even the article seems to have forgotten Sadhu Nigamananda, who died after fasting for 70+ days. Atleast in Irom Sharmila's case the govt bothered enough to force feed her, but in the case of the sadhu they didn't even bother that much.
 

pankaj nema

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All separatists HATE AFSPA

ANNA and the lakhs of people all round the country are marching with the slogans "Bharat MAta ki Jai " and "Vande Mataram"

We want to IMPROVE OUR COUNTRY

And YES ALL SEPARATISTS SHOULD BE SHOT DEAD .AFSPA is A MUST
 

Singh

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And YES ALL SEPARATISTS SHOULD BE SHOT DEAD .AFSPA is A MUST
1. Why are you stifling dissent ? It is a fundamental requirement of a democracy
2. Right to Life is a fundamental right
3. AFSPA is a draconian law, it should be implemented only in emergency and for a very short definite period of time. AFSPA alienates the people.
 

sob

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North East has been neglected since Independence. Except for Assam today we do not bother about the 7 sisters.
Even Arunachal Pradesh which is a bone of contention with the Chinese still is not getting the focus it should from the Government.

My only hope for this region is the Transit Treaty being signed with Bangladesh. With trade coming this area will flourish due to the efforts of the local people and Pvt. Indian companies who might rush to invest money. I have lost all hope from the Government to develop this area.
 

Adux

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Of course all separatist hate AFSPA , Since AFSPA means Army, and Army means they cant play their usual anti-indian devious games.
 

Singh

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Of course all separatist hate AFSPA , Since AFSPA means Army, and Army means they cant play their usual anti-indian devious games.
But all unionists should also hate AFSPA, for its prolonged imposition alienates the local people.
 

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