Irom Sharmila Chanu, widely known as the “Iron Lady of Manipur,” is a civil rights activist from Manipur who became a global symbol of nonviolent resistance. In 2000, after the Malom massacre in which 10 civilians were killed by security forces, she began a hunger strike demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act (AFSPA). Her fast lasted for 16 years, making it one of the world’s longest hunger strikes, during which she was repeatedly arrested and force-fed. Though she ended her strike in 2016 and later entered politics, her struggle remains an enduring example of courage, resilience, and peaceful protest against state violence and injustice in India’s Northeast.