NHRC raps Manipur govt, says detaining Irom Sharmila 'unconstitutional'

In a decisive move, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has indicted the Manipur government’s decision to imprison Irom Sharmila as completely unconstitutional. Irom Sharmila, the rights activist who has been on fast for 14 years to protest against AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act), is not being allowed to meet any member of the public without the state government’s permission. [caption id=“attachment_1209927” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Irom Sharmila. PTI. [/caption] According to The Indian Express , NHRC noted that the restrictions imposed on access to Sharmila must be immediately removed as “these are in breach of India’s obligations under international human rights standards and principles, and a grave violation of human rights”, says the October 30 notice. The Indian Express report also quoted NHRC member Satyabrata Pal as saying, “One of the reasons we met her was that the NHRC had received a number of complaints regarding the conditions of her imprisonment. She said she was under no discomfort but her only complaint was that she was not allowed to meet anyone and that she was kept in isolation from her people. According to the NHRC, the state government has no legal provisions under its belt to impose something like this on Irom Sharmila. This appears like a ploy to destroy her mental strength, they noted. The Manipur Chief Secretary would have to reply to the report by December 6 citing why and how they came to this arrangement for Irom Sharmila alone.