IMPHAL, October 6: Irom Chanu Sharmila was produced before the Court of Akash Jain, Metropolitan Magistrate, Patiala House Court, New Delhi in connection with case no 476/02/2012 FIR No 222/2006 Parliament Street Police Station.
Her matter was listed as item no. 40 and her statement was recorded around 11.30 am according to a statement from Human Rights Alert executive director Babloo Loitongbam.
It said Sharmila wanted to explain her struggle to the Magistrate but the Magistrate wanted to confine her only to the relevant questions.
It said an emotionally charged Sharlima wept in the Court and Senior Advocate V.K. Ohri, Advocate Divya Sunderajan and Advocate Kezhosano Kikhi assisting her, persuaded her and helped her in recording the statement.
Sharmila stated before the Magistrate that she was picked up by the police on the night of October 6, 2006 because the government was concerned that national and international media have started taking interest in her struggle against AFSPA, it said.
She admitted that she denied medical attention but also clarified that she did not need it as her health was fine at that point of time, after all she have been on hunger strike since the year 2000 she asserted, according to the statement.
She also recorded that her struggle is to demand the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act or its total removal from Manipur, it added.
She stated that the application of this Act has resulted to untold sufferings on the Manipuri people and hundreds of women have been raped. But the armed forces indulging in these criminal acts cannot be prosecuted because they are protected by the Armed Forces Special Powers Act, it said.
The hearing on the case will continue tomorrow 7 October 2015 in the same Court and one defend witness will be examined, it said.
It may be mentioned that Irom CHanu Sharmila left Imphal for Delhi yesterday with a team of nine including haill staff, police personnel and medical staff.
Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/10/afspa-causing-hardships-in-manipur-emotionally-charged-sharmila-tells-court/