"I am the real embodiment of revolution, and I want to be the chief minister of Manipur," she told reporters in the city of Imphal. "The foremost thing will be the removal of these draconian laws."

Had been in custody to prevent death

With her decision to eat willingly, Sharmila also earned her freedom. She had been in judicial custody at a hospital, following 14 arrests on the grounds that she was illegally trying to kill herself through the hunger strike.

Federal law makes attempted suicide illegal, so authorities force-fed her through a drip in her nose.

On Tuesday, she told a court of her intention to end the strike, so a judge released her on a bail of 10,000 Indian rupees ($149). She'll remain at the hospital temporarily until an official court order comes through, Human Rights Alert Executive Director Babloo Ioitongbam said.

Sharmila said she intended to settle in an ashram, or religious center, rather than go home.

In court that year, he referenced how Mahatma Gandhi used the same mode of protest during the nation's independence struggle. He also argued that hunger strike was not a crime.

The magistrate ruled there was insufficient evidence to prove she was attempting to commit suicide. In doing so, he overturned a lower court's attempt to put her on trial for attempted suicide.

After the court ordered her release, Sharmila resumed her hunger strike, according to her lawyer, and she was placed back into custody.

It is believed that she will campaign as an independent candidate in an election due to take place next year in Manipur, an impoverished, landlocked state in India's remote northeastern belt.

For years, many Manipuri tribal communities have resisted the authority of Delhi, claiming they have suffered neglect from the central government. This disaffection has given rise to occasional outbreaks of violence.