- Drama against army act to be staged in Trichur

Imphal, March 2: Supporters of Manipur’s icon of protest are ready to hit where it hurts most.

A prominent theatre group from defence minister A.K. Antony’s home constituency will stage a play, Meira Paibi, based on the life and struggle of Irom Sharmila, in his bastion, Trichur, on March 16.

Sharmila is on a hungerstrike for a decade now, demanding the withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, while Anthony is its staunch advocate.

The play is being launched by Trichur Theatre Group and has been directed by Civic Chandran, a well-known director from Kerala.

It is an extension of the “From Gandhi to Sharmila Campaign” launched by an Imphal-based NGO, Just Peace Foundation, on January 30, the anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi’s assassination. Sharmila’s elder brother, Irom Singhajit, is the managing trustee of the foundation.

The campaign will culminate on March 14, Sharmila’s birthday (she was born in 1972), with programmes in the country and abroad.

It aims to take Sharmila’s campaign outside the state and seek support for her struggle against the army act.

“The theatre group is giving final touches to the play and Meira Paibi will be staged at various parts of the defence minister’s constituency before going to the big cities of the country,” Singhajit told this correspondent today.

The campaign also aims at exposing the “criminalisation” of Gandhian thought and non-violence means of protest by the authorities who have accused Sharmila of attempting suicide and dumped her in jail for 10 years, he said.

Sharmila began her fast on November 5, 2000, demanding repeal of the act after troops of the Assam Rifles shot dead 10 civilians in Imphal West in retaliation to a militant attack on November 2. She was arrested within 48 hours and jailed on charges of attempting suicide. But she refused to call off the fast and is surviving on forced nasal feeding.

The NGO has organised programmes and deliberations on the impact of the army act in Delhi, Arunachal Pradesh, Varanasi and Trichur. More programmes are being lined up.

Rights activists will meet in Bhubaneswar on March 6. They will distribute pamphlets, Sharmila Ki Bat Suno, and organise rallies in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Bihar, apart from Imphal, from March 8 to 14.

The campaign will also be launched in Kargil and Chandigarh, London, Seoul (Korea) and Hong Kong, among others.
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