Govt appreciates Irom Sharmila's decision to end fast

Manipur's "Iron Lady" Irom Sharmila will be ending her 16-year fast on August 9. She also decided to contest next year's state Assembly elections as an Independent candidate.  Sharmila sat on a hunger Strike in year 2000, demanding repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act. The 44-year-old iconic human rights activist, who has been forcibly fed through a nasal tube since 2000, said she would join politics. 

Appreciating activist Irom Sharmila's decision to end her 16-year-long fast and contest elections in Manipur, Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region, Jitendra Singh hoped that her decision will inspire J&K's separatists too to contest an election.