Human rights activist Irom Chanu Sharmila has again invited anti-corruption activist Anna Hazare to visit Manipur, which, she said, was "the most corruption-hit region in the world". "I've been inviting him to come," Sharmila said on Tuesday, after appearing at the court of the chief judicial magistrate in Imphal. "But I will not ask them to join the fast. Let it be up to their own conscience."
Sharmila has to be produced in court every 15 days ever since she was booked for attempt to commit suicide under IPC Section 309.
She has been on fast since 2000, demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, 1958 (AFSPA), which gives security personnel the power to arrest, search and shoot on mere suspicion.
Sharmila had invited Hazare to visit Manipur, when Team Anna invited her to join the anti-corruption rally in Ramlila Ground. Although she was unable to go, she supported Hazare's campaign.
Regarding her own battle, she said, "Even if they (the government) continues to ignore our plight, one day they'll realise there are more people like Anna in the country."
She also voiced the need for intervention from a global body like the United Nations.
Irom Singhajit, Sharmila's elder brother, who has been backing his sister's campaign and was present at the court, expressed dissatisfaction at the authorities' indifference about Sharmila's campaign.
"Anna fights for a corruption-free society while my sister struggles for the right to life," he said.
"But she does not have a political platform as she was born in a border state. This is racial discrimination."
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