Activist Irom Sharmila marries partner Desmond Coutinha
Manipur’s iconic rights activist Irom Sharmila on Thursday married her long-time partner, British citizen Desmond Coutinha, in Tamil Nadu’s Kodaikanal in the presence of a few friends.
No family members were present when the bride and the groom signed the official documents at the registrar’s office. The couple was based in Kodaikanal for the past two months to fulfil legal requirements. Sharmila was accompanied by documentary film maker and CPI-ML activist Divya Bharathi.
Sharmila, 45, ended a 16-yearlong fast in 2016 and contested assembly polls in Manipur this year, but ended with just 90 votes in her first electoral fight against former CM Ibobi Singh. She quit politics and decided to settle down by marrying Coutinha, 55, an NRI with roots in Goa.
Sharmila became a symbol of resistance during her agitation demanding scrapping of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, which activists say is the root cause of abuses by forces.
“It is her life and she has a right to live it her way. We were hurt initially but realised she deserves her personal space after giving 15-plus years of her life for people in the fight against AFSPA,” her brother Irom Singhajit told HT. “It was her decision to go on indefinite hunger strike (from November 2000), her decision to end it, and her decision to get married. That’s why we did not object when the applied for marriage registration last month.”
Sharmila’s mother, Irom Sakhi, said the family was hopeful she would find happiness. “A mother never wants her child to suffer,” she said.
Rights groups in Manipur, once associated with her, declined to comment on a “personal matter” but said they won’t mind Sharmila pitching in for AFSPA-related issues after marriage. Several groups in Tamil Nadu were opposed to the marriage. On August 4, the Hindu Makkal Karchi filed a petition against the marriage saying their presence will vitiate the social harmony of the town.
(With inputs from Sobhapati Samom in Imphal)