An Open Letter from Irom Sharmila Chanu forwarded by the Asian Human
Rights Commission (AHRC)

Honourable Prime Minister

Shri Narendra Modiji,

South Block, Raisina Hill, New Delhi-110011

Phone +91-11-23012312+91-11-23012312 Fax +91-11-23019545, 23016857

Dated: 27th May, 2014

INDIA : An open letter to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Dear Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modiji,

A hearty congratulation from a young woman demanding for Right to
Life under the Constitution of India to the newly elected Prime
Minister of India!

First of all, I seek your pardon for any lack of etiquette in
addressing you as the Prime Minster of India. I, Irom Sharmila Chanu,
the lone hunger striker for repeal of the AFSPA, 1958 from the whole
of areas in the country that come under the purview of this act, would
like to draw your kind attention to my humble appeal for getting, the
innocent people numbering around 4 Crores, free from the injustice,
meted out by the Parliament of India.

Why should the Indian Parliament treat us, the inhabitants of the
North East Region of India differently from the rests of people in
different states of India at large by declaring our region as
disturbed areas, under which the Constitution provides, the Armed
Forces, even to the rank of a Havildar, the power to kill with full
impunity, torture and rape anyone on mere suspicion of being an
insurgent in their eyes? Why should so many women be exposed
helplessly to their sexual pleasures? Holding with such Licence to
kill under the AFSPA, 1958, the Government of India has been
committing thousands of the killings and enforced disappearance of
innocent people over the last few decades. This has resulted into same
number of surviving widows and thousands of lamenting parents for
their love ones leaving behind thousands of women headed families!

The Chiefs of the Indian Army remain strongly against the repealing
of the AFSPA only because they are too scared and insecure in their
movements without excess power provided by this Act. As the
consequence of their barbaric acts towards the innocent people, who
are considered inferior and wild stupid beings in their eyes, and are
very likely to retaliate suddenly and stealthily against the
inhumanness of the Indian Armies, out of rage amongst the masses. With
such mindset of the army chiefs’ tactics of controlling the
insurgency and upholding AFSPA in the north east states of India and
the state of Jammu and Kashmir has only been helpful in begetting more
and more insurgent parties in the long run. I consider, the only
solution to the liberation or separation movements in the north east
region of India will be none other than changing of the mindset of the
mainstream masses and power holders in politics at large to stop
discriminations and step-motherly treatments meted out to at the looks
of Mongoloid features.

Please, do provide us with the basic right of being a human so that
we can live with self-respect and dignity. Under the disturbed areas
status the State has exploited our tourism industry by restricting any
tourist from abroad which should provide us large income in exchange
of our traditional manual products with which we would also expand our
knowledge and horizons from such interactions with advanced countries
of the world.

Please don’t see me as a supporter of any insurgent party by the
only notion of the way I protest against. Instead, please do see me as
conscientious human being who doesn’t want to have a permanent home
and food nor adopt any particular religion or citizenship like the
birds in nature so that I am accessible, wherever and whenever needed.
I want to wonder around in the world as long as my body and soul are
in union. And, I want nothing from this mundane earth, except enjoying
the feeling of Importance with my birth as a rational, social animal
to the following generation after my departure from the world, In that
case, the future generations who would be born after me and whose
knowledge about my living past would also be from the history, only
will surely be want to transform the bad side of my own being into
good, owing to the glory of my good actions of which I had meted out
during my living space In this world.

Do prevail over the nation with the practice of nonviolence under
your leadership and ensure democracy takes roots in the country by
repealing AFSPA from the whole areas inhabited by around 4 Crores of
people in the North East and elsewhere. Crores of rupees which is
allocated every year to eradicate insurgency can be utilized
productively for the uplift of the poor peasants who feed the Crores
of Indians by transforming all the armed recruiting centres and
barracks in every nook and corner of our states into fertile paddy
fields that once it were for the farmers so that we can live a
contented and peaceful lives. Now, that you are not only the head of
the State but popularly elected leader by the whole of the nation for
a change, holding with the greatest power to command in your hands.
Like the enlightened emperor Asoka of KaiInga after witnessing the
huge devastation with heaves of deaths and lamentations that prevailed
over the whole land as a consequence of historic battles, do rule your
nation with the weapon of Ahimsa so that you may reap only with peace
and love of your peoples to allay the fears of Anti-Modi groups since
the incidents of Godra in 2002 and transform them into your beloved
friends for a peaceful and vibrant society.

 

Thank you for your kind attention.

With utmost regards

Irom Sharmila Chanu