Imphal, March 08: Anti-AFSPA campaigner Irom Sharmila Chanu, who was released yesterday on completion of her one year imprisonment term, has been rearrested as she persisted with her agitation demanding total repealing of the controversial Act.

Even though a police team showed up this morning at AAA ground, Porompat a large number of womenfolk who joined the brief agitation in solidarity with sharmila's movement reportedly urged the police team to let her continue with the democratic form of protest without any disturbance as a symbolic respect to the observation of International Women's Day today.

Sharmila resumed the agitation at a shed near the AAA ground last evening after being released from the security ward of JN Hospital on a court's order.

"In the morning my sister requested me to make her join the International Women's Day observation held at two places in Imphal area but police foiled her for reasons best known to them (police)," said I Singhajit, elder brother of sharmila.

Sharmila was later picked up from the agitation site at around 2.30 pm today.

Earlier in the morning, women activists, social workers and senior citizens of manipur showed up to pledge their solidarity with Sharmila.

Before being rearrested, the winner of South Korea's Gwanju Prize for Human rights affirmed she would continue with her fast unto death agitation till the AFSPA is scraped in its entirety.

Meanwhile, New Delhi based Asian Centre for Human Rights (ACHR) has condemned the rearrest of irom Sharmila Chanu by Manipur police.

While recounting that Sharmila had been leading a fast unto death agitation since November 2000 to protest imposition of AFSPA, the rights body grimly noted that the arrest denied Sharmila from joining International Women's Day observation organised by Apunba Manipur Kanba Ima Lup.

The ACHR release issued by its Director Suhas Chakma described the arrest as 'another blow to the universally praised Gandhian method of protests against injustice'.

"The arrest of Irom Sharmila once again shows the unwillingness of the Government of India to implement recommendations of the its own commissions on the AFSPA - the Justice Jeevan Reddy headed Commission on the review of the Armed Forces Special Powers' Act 1958 and Administrative Reforms Committee headed by Veerappan Moily," stated Suhas Chakma.

The Director also opined that, "If the Government does not implement the recommendations of its own commissions, it breeds contempt for the state.

This calls for immediate implementation of the recommendations of the Reddy and Moily Commissions and release of irom sharmila from illegal and arbitrary detention".

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