Irom Sharmila ends 16-year-long hunger strike

[:en]Manipuri political activist Irom Sharmila broke her 16-year long hunger strike and with it World's longest hunger strike ended on Tuesday.On this moment she got emotional and said, "I will never forget this moment."

She said, "I want to join politics as I've been called the Iron lady of Manipur and I want to live up to that name. I want to be the chief minister of Manipur and I want my people to believe in me."

She also said that from now on, she will be staying at an ashram and would not require any security. She was released by the court earlier in the day. The 44-year-old had been held in judicial custody on charges of attempting suicide.

Sharmila has been campaigning against AFSPA -- which provides special powers to handle insurgents in the North East and Jammu and Kashmir also.

Sharmila has been fed through a nasal tube since November 2000, spending much of the time since in judicial custody in the hospital in Imphal, the state capital of Manipur.

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