Irom Chanu Sharmila all set to marry: Will the fight end here?

Imphal, July 13: The one time Iron Lady, Irom Chanu Sharmila submitted papers for her marriage with her long-time partner Desmond Coutinho (a British citizen) at the sub registrar’s office in Kodaikanal, yesterday. Kodaikanal is a hill station in Dindigul district of Tamil Nadu where Sharmila, 45, intends to settle down. Sub-registrar S Rajesh confirmed receiving the couple’s application. However he could not grant permission for their marriage immediately as per the Hindu Marriage Act. As the marriage was inter religious, they would need to register it under the Special Marriage Act. The marriage can be solemnised if there are no objections to the proposal within a month of registration. The Special Marriage Act provides this 30-day window. “We will wed in Kodai after 30 days,” Sharmila told reporters in Kodaikanal on Wednesday. Irom Sharmila is known internationally for her 16-year hunger strike which she ended in August 2016. With the news for her marriage application coming in, Facebook citizens are already engaged in debate over her move. It may be mentioned that, her ending the long fast against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act 1958 (AFSPA) was widely criticized by sections of Manipuris. She formed a political party, the People’s Resurgence and Justice Alliance, and she contested the Manipur elections. She lost getting just 90 votes. The move to marry a non local is being considered a big blow to the fight against AFSPA by lots. Sharmila has said that after marriage, she wishes to lead a peaceful life as an ordinary woman in Kodaikanal. She did not, though, rule out her participation in struggles for women’s rights in the future.