Irom Sharmila gets married

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With a cream shawl draped around her head, renowned human rights activist from Manipur Irom Sharmila walked into the registrar office in Kodaikanal to get married to her British partner Desmond Coutinho.

Standing beside the bride was CPI(ML) activist and documentary filmmaker Divya Bharathi, who held a small bouquet of roses.

In a crowded room at the sub-registrar’s office in Kodaikanal, a media contingent waited with the couple and Divya. As soon as the three witnesses and residents from Kodaikanal turned up, the wedding was formalised.

Irom Sharmila with Desmond Coutinho after registering their marriage

The couple received their marriage papers under the ‘Special Marriage Act 1954’ from the registrar office on Thursday morning. The wedding was devoid of any fanfare and family members of both the bride and the bridegroom were not present.

wedding was devoid of any fanfare and family members of both the bride and the bridegroom were not present

On 4 August, the Hindu Makkal Katchi filed a petition in Kodaikanal against the proposed wedding of the human rights campaigner. The organisation alleged that allowing Irom to stay and get married in the hill station would ruin the peace and tranquility of the city. Before that, in July, a social activist made the same arguments.

Asked about her plans after marriage, Sharmila reportedly said she will be settling down in the hill-station and is set to embark on her new mission against AFSPA for bringing about peace and justice in the country.

On 9 August, Irom declared that Divya Bharati will be her bridesmaid, while attending a seminar on freedom of expression to support the filmmaker.

She further extended her support to Divya, whose film on manual scavenging has made her the target of immense harassment. The documentary, which displays the state’s failure to implement the Prohibition of Employment as Manual Scavengers and their Rehabilitation Act 2013, has put the government of Tamil Nadu on the backfoot.

© NewsMinute

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