Irom Sharmila gave birth to twin girls at a hospital in Bengaluru.
As the world celebrated "Mother's Day" on Sunday, human rights and political activist Irom Sharmila gave birth to twin girls at a private hospital in Bengaluru. The pictures of the twins were released today.
"It was a C-section delivery (Caesarean) because there were twin babies", doctor were quoted as saying by news agency PTI. "The twins girls have been named Nix Shakhi and Autumn Tara. Both babies and the mother are doing well," they said.
The 44-year-old, known as the "Iron Lady of Manipur", went on a hunger strike in 2000 demanding the withdrawal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFSPA in Manipur. After 16 years, Irom Sharmila broke her hunger strike, the longest in the world, on August 9, 2016. She said that she wanted to become Manipur's chief minister so that she could repeal the contentious AFSPA.
The twins girls have been named Nix Shakhi and Autumn Tara
It had enraged a section of the people, who had unleashed a barrage of criticism. But undeterred, she had started a new political party - the PRJA (Peoples' Resurgence and Justice Alliance) - and held strategy sessions with political leaders including Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal .
Irom Sharmila contested the state elections in 2017 from Thoubal constituency against three-time Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh but managed to get only 90 out of 27,271 votes. After her electoral defeat, she said she would quit active politics and travel south to "calm" her mind.
In 2017, Irom Sharmila married her long-time partner Desmond Coutinho, a British national.
Earlier this year, when she would asked if she contest the national elections, she had said politics wasn't her "cup of tea".
In 2017, she married her long-time partner Desmond Coutinho, a British national.