Sharmila and the Forgotten Genealogy of Violence in Manipur

The focus throughout these 16 years has been on the iconised personality of Irom Sharmila, rather than on the reason and the demand of her protest. She has still not given up her demand, which is to repeal the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, but is merely changing her strategy. To misrecognise and misrepresent is also a form of violence, and it perpetrates the already existing militarism. Such misrecognition is what has led to the imposition of the AFSPA in the fi rst place, the culture that looks at the people of the region with suspicion. The AFSPA has produced precisely such a culture of violence and impunity, the hallmark of which is the inability to trust.