Irom Sharmila, the iconic activist who has not eaten a morsel for 16 years in protest against alleged army atrocities in Manipur, will end her epic fast today.
The 44-year-old has been force-fed through a nasal tube for years at a prison hospital in Imphal. She will break her fast at a court, taking the first in a series of steps towards a new life that will include politics and marriage.
In 2000, the death of 10 people in firing by security forces drove Sharmila to launch a hunger strike, to demand the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFSPA that gives the army sweeping emergency powers in the northeastern state.
Today, she is ready to take a different route to this goal.
She has said that she will contest elections as an independent candidate.
Her announcement on July 26 that she would end her fast and join politics stunned not just her supporters but also her family.
Today, she will take her first sips of juice in the presence of a large number of supporters but her 84-year-old mother Shakhi Devi will not be there, which was read by some as a sign that she is not completely on board with the big step.
"She will not go there to meet her. She is waiting for the moment of her victory which will come only when AFSPA is repealed," said Irom Singhajit, her brother.
Doctors say the activist might have to be on a liquid diet for the next few days.
"A person who has not eaten solid food for 16 years cannot start it suddenly. She has to start slowly and gradually in small quantities," said a doctor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital.
Sharmila's struggle has been the pivot of protests against AFSPA in Manipur and other northeastern states.
Those who lost their relatives in firing by security forces say they will continue their fight.
40-year-old Salima, whose husband was killed in 2012, said: "Irom Sharmila is free to decide her future but we will continue fight against AFSPA."
Babloo Loitangbom, a close associate of Irom Sharmila, said: "No politician met her in last 15 years for even 15 minutes. So she wants to change her tactics."
The last time Irom Sharmila tasted freedom briefly, she had hinted that she may break her fast. She had also spoken about her relationship with a man through letters only. Desmond Coutinho, a Goa-based British citizen, began writing to Sharmila years ago and even met her. Sharmila has said that she wants to marry him.
The 44-year-old has been force-fed through a nasal tube for years at a prison hospital in Imphal. She will break her fast at a court, taking the first in a series of steps towards a new life that will include politics and marriage.
In 2000, the death of 10 people in firing by security forces drove Sharmila to launch a hunger strike, to demand the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFSPA that gives the army sweeping emergency powers in the northeastern state.
Today, she is ready to take a different route to this goal.
She has said that she will contest elections as an independent candidate.
Her announcement on July 26 that she would end her fast and join politics stunned not just her supporters but also her family.
Today, she will take her first sips of juice in the presence of a large number of supporters but her 84-year-old mother Shakhi Devi will not be there, which was read by some as a sign that she is not completely on board with the big step.
"She will not go there to meet her. She is waiting for the moment of her victory which will come only when AFSPA is repealed," said Irom Singhajit, her brother.
Doctors say the activist might have to be on a liquid diet for the next few days.
"A person who has not eaten solid food for 16 years cannot start it suddenly. She has to start slowly and gradually in small quantities," said a doctor at the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences Hospital.
Sharmila's struggle has been the pivot of protests against AFSPA in Manipur and other northeastern states.
Those who lost their relatives in firing by security forces say they will continue their fight.
40-year-old Salima, whose husband was killed in 2012, said: "Irom Sharmila is free to decide her future but we will continue fight against AFSPA."
Babloo Loitangbom, a close associate of Irom Sharmila, said: "No politician met her in last 15 years for even 15 minutes. So she wants to change her tactics."
The last time Irom Sharmila tasted freedom briefly, she had hinted that she may break her fast. She had also spoken about her relationship with a man through letters only. Desmond Coutinho, a Goa-based British citizen, began writing to Sharmila years ago and even met her. Sharmila has said that she wants to marry him.