Manipur rights activist Nepram alleges police intimidation, tweets up a storm

A heavily armed group of Manipur police personnel reportedly landed at her parents’ Imphal residence on Friday, a day after she tweeted on a road-rage case involving chief minister N Biren Singh’s son.

Updated on: May 13, 2017, 20:51:08 IST

Hindustan Times, Guwahati | By Utpal Parashar

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A prominent human rights activist from Manipur has accused the state police of using intimidation tactics to prevent her from helping victims of rights abuse.

Human rights activist Binalakshmi Nepram delivering a talk at Mizoram University. (Mizoram University/ File photo)

“A heavily armed group of Manipur police personnel landed at my parents’ Imphal house around 1.30 pm on Friday. I was away, but my 87-year-old father and 84-year-old mother were badly shaken by the incident,” Binalakshmi Nepram told HT.

Nepram is the founder of the Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network, an NGO that works for female survivors of violence. She is also the convenor of the Northeast India Women Initiative for Peace.

The activist said the police were trying to prevent her from providing relief and legal assistance to victims of rights violations by state forces. “This is a clear case of threatening and intimidating a rights activist. We have been working with survivors for so many years, but this is the first instance of the state police force harassing us,” she added.

The incident comes days after a Supreme Court lawyer received death threats from an underground outfit for representing the family of a student allegedly killed by Ajay Meetei, son of Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh, in an incident of road rage. “Very sad what’s happening to Manipur now — a mother’s fight for justice for her dead son has become a tragic issue about threats/intimidation,” Nepram had tweeted on Thursday.

The police team reportedly landed at her parents’ residence the next day.

Nepram, however, remains unfazed. “We are not going to be bogged down by such threats. We will continue our work with renewed vigour,” Nepram told HT.

She also referred to the incident in a series of tweets addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Rajnath Singh and his deputy Kiren Rijiju on Saturday morning. “Manipur police should not be used by some corrupt politicians to cover crimes committed by them/their families,” one of them read.

Efforts to contact senior police officers for their version of the incident went in vain.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Utpal Parashar
A seasoned senior journalist, I have nearly three decades of experience across print, digital, and online platforms, covering political transitions, insurgencies, environmental issues, and development stories in India and Nepal. I am skilled in breaking news, leading editorial teams and launch of newspaper editions. I am adept at leveraging digital trends and social media to expand global reach, with a strong ethical foundation and a reputation for impactful journalism. An alumnus of Asian College of Journalism, I joined Hindustan Times in New Delhi as a trainee reporter in May 1997. Over the years, I have been posted in Dehradun, Kathmandu (Nepal) and Guwahati. Currently, as Senior Assistant Editor at Hindustan Times, I lead a team reporting on India’s northeastern states. My work involves in-depth analysis, and engaging multimedia storytelling across formats, including text, photo, video, and interactive content. I am skilled in producing timely, shareable content, leveraging digital platforms and social media to engage global audiences. Throughout my career with the Hindustan Times, I have led diverse editorial teams, designed capacity-building activities, and supported reporters in developing strong story ideas, ethical reporting practices, digital skills, and fact-checking techniques. As Senior Assistant Editor for Northeast India, I have been responsible for guiding correspondents through complex political, humanitarian, and community-level stories using multimedia formats. Earlier, as Foreign Correspondent in Nepal, I produced extensive reporting during Nepal’s democratic transition and the 2015 earthquake and its aftermath.Read More

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