Irom Sharmila honoured with Tagore award

Irom Sharmila — who has been observing a fast-unto-death since November 4, 2000, demanding the repeal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act — was given the Rabindranath Tagore Award-2010 on September 11.

The award, instituted by the Indian Institute of Planning and Management (IIPM), carries Rs.51 lakh in cash, a gold medal, a citation and a shawl.

The IIPM conferred the award on 16 people at a function in Kolkata on August 30. As the bed-ridden Sharmila could not go there, IIPM chairman M.K. Choudhury, Registrar Ratna Choudhury and Dean Tarun Bose came to the J.N. Hospital here to hand over the award to Ms. Sharmila.