"The central government recognised Anna Hazare as a true Indian citizen and hence accepted his demands. I am sure one day the government would recognise me and my fight against rights violations," Sharmila told journalists outside a local court where she was being presented for a routine hearing.
Dubbed as the Iron Lady of Manipur, Sharmila began her fast on November 2, 2000, after witnessing the killing of 10 people by the army at a bus stop near her home.
Now around 40, she was arrested shortly after beginning her protest — on charges of attempted suicide. She was sent to a prison hospital where she began a daily routine of being force-fed via a nasal drip.
Sharmila is frequently set free by local courts, but once outside, she resumes her hunger-strike and is rearrested. She is campaigning for the repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA) that enables security forces to shoot on sight and arrest anybody without a warrant.
She is being held in an isolated room at the Jawarharlal Nehru Hospital here.
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