Imphal: Irom Sharmila Chanu, the iconic Manipuri activist has decided to break her 16-year-old fast on August 9 and contest elections.
The 44-year-old Sharmila who has been on a hunger strike since 2000 demanding repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) in Manipur told a district court in Manipur that she would be ending her fast on August 9.

“I will break my fast as the government has failed to give any positive response. I will fight elections to solve the issue,” she said. She also informed the court – where she is required to mark attendance every 15 days – that she wants to marry.

Sharmila has been arrested several times over the past few years. On March 4, 2013, she was put on trial for allegedly trying to commit suicide while undertaking a fast-unto-death at Jantar Mantar on October 4, 2006. On March 30, 2016, she was acquitted in the case. Sharmila said she never intended to commit suicide, and it was just a protest against AFSPA. Days before she began her fast in 2000, 10 people, including two children, were shot dead by personnel allegedly from the armed forces.

Sharmila has been confined to a room at a government hospital and force-fed through a nasal tube for 14 years.