January 22, 2026 06:52 am (IST)
Follow us:
facebook-white sharing button
twitter-white sharing button
instagram-white sharing button
youtube-white sharing button
Twist before Tamil Nadu polls! TTV Dhinakaran returns to NDA after bitter exit | Gold goes berserk! Prices smash all-time high as global tensions explode | Markets end in red: Sensex slips 271 points, Nifty below 25,200; rupee hits record low | Nitin Nabin becomes BJP’s youngest president ahead of key assembly polls, PM Modi calls him ‘my boss’ | Viral video scandal rocks Karnataka Police: DGP Ramachandra Rao suspended | Jolt to ECI over SIR! SC allows BLAs at hearing, questions 'logical discrepancy'; TMC declares 'BJP's game over' | Will dal disrupt diplomacy? US lawmakers urge Trump to act on India’s 30% pulse tariff | 'Pakistan deserves Operation Sindoor 2.0', says Baloch leader over Trump’s Gaza board invitation to Islamabad | From Malda to the nation: PM Modi unveils India’s Vande Bharat sleeper | War zone Beldanga: Highway blocked, reporters attacked in migrant death protests

Activist Irom Sharmila marries long time British partner Desmond Coutinha

| | Aug 17, 2017, at 11:11 pm
Kodaikanal/Imphal, Aug 17 (IBNS): Manipur's rights activist Iron Sharmila, who had ended her 16-year long fast in 2017, married her long time British partner Desmond Coutinha on Thursday, media reports said.

No family members from either side were present while the two were legally tying the knot.

The couple completed their marriage legally on Thursday in front of CPI-ML activist cum film maker Divya Bharathi in Kodaikanal.

Sharmila fasted for 16 years against the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act or AFPA.

She also took part in Manipur Assembly election which was held in early 2017.

After failing to win her seat in the election, she decided to quit politics. Though the former CM, against whom Sharmila fought her political battle, could not win, the 45-year old activist managed to get only 90 votes.

Sharmila's brother Irom Singhajit told Hindustan Times: "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 the people in the fight against AFSPA."

"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,” he added while speaking to HT.

Hoping for a happy life, Sharmila's mother, Irom Sakhi, was quoted by HT as saying: "A mother never wants her child to suffer."


 

Support Our Journalism

We cannot do without you.. your contribution supports unbiased journalism

IBNS is not driven by any ism- not wokeism, not racism, not skewed secularism, not hyper right-wing or left liberal ideals, nor by any hardline religious beliefs or hyper nationalism. We want to serve you good old objective news, as they are. We do not judge or preach. We let people decide for themselves. We only try to present factual and well-sourced news.

Support objective journalism for a small contribution.