Irom Sharmila disappointed with lack of support

IMPHAL, January 24: Irom Sharmila who was today produced in the court of the Judicial Magistrate 1st Class Imphal East was not allowed to interact with this IFP reporter for more than 2-3 minutes. During a very brief span, Irom Sharmila showed a painting to this reporter depicting a scene that she had seen. She told this reporter that the painting had similar parallels with the situation in Manipur where most people have the tendency to stand aside and observe someone facing difficulties on his/her own.

The painting depicted the real story of a set of parents who had brought their child who had drowned on a hot summer day to the hospital casualty. The father had brought the child whose body was hanging on his shoulders while the child's mother was weeping and following behind. Around them curious bystanders stood by and looked on the parents with their dead child like they were watching a spectacle. "If someone had offered their vehicle to the parents instead of watching, maybe the child could have been saved," Sharmila said while adding, "But everyone only watched on as if it was some form of entertainment."

Sharmial further drew a parallel between that incident and her own struggle against AFSPA and she expressed her disappointment with how she was akin to being a spectacle during her 12 year long fast.