Irom Sharmila ties the knot in a simple wedding at Kodaikanal

Renowned Human Rights activist Irom Sharmila married long-time beau Desmond Coutinha at the sub-registrar’s office in Kodaikanal on Thursday. While the media and friends were witnesses to the simple ceremony, families of the bride and the groom were absent.

The wedding was formalised after three people, all residents of Kodaikanal, signed as witnesses. Irom Sharmila and Desmond Coutinha spent two months completing legal formalities to go through the wedding after pro-right organisations opposed their marriage in the hill station. Irom tied the knot under the ‘Special Marriage Act 1954’. With no invitations or fanfare, the marriage of the rights activist was a simple affair.

Speaking to reporters ahead of her marriage Irom said that she intended to settle in Kodaikanal. “I will settle in Kodaikanal and embark on a new mission against AFSPA for bringing about peace and justice in the country. I will give a 5-minute power point presentation on AFSPA and the key issues gripping Manipur in the South Asian Youth Summit, 2017 in Bhubaneswar,” she said. The summit is scheduled to be held on September.

The marriage was once postponed after few organisations registered protests against the activist tying the knot in Kodaikanal. The organisation alleged that the activist’s marriage could ‘ruin the peace and tranquillity of the city’. Divya Bharati, a filmmaker was Irom’s bridesmaid.