Irom Sharmila to end fast, fight elections.

Irom Sharmila, the iconic activist whose life was defined by a fast she began 16 years ago in protest against army atrocities, has decided to move on. She will call off her fast on August 9, say her aides, as she wants to marry and fight elections.

The 42-year-old activist has been force-fed through a nasal tube for years.
 
She launched her fast in November 2000, against the Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFSPA that gives the army sweeping emergency powers in the northeastern state.

Days before she began her fast, 10 people, including two children, were shot dead in Imphal, allegedly by personnel of the Assam Rifles.