Binalakshmi Nepram

Human Rights Activist

Manipur

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on 14 May, concerning the threats to Human Right Defender Ms. Binalakshmi Nepram by the Manipur Police. Ms. Nepram is a human rights activist and writer. She has launched the Manipuri Women Gun Survivors Network.

Around 1:30 PM on May 12, 2017, armed officers of the Manipur police entered Ms. Nepram’s family home in Imphal. According to Ms. Nepram, she is being targeted for helping the family of Irom Roger so as to reopen the case of the road rage incident whereby Irom Roger was allegedly killed by the current chief minister’s son, Mr. N Ajay Singh, with a gun.

A Supreme Court lawyer, Mr. Utsav Singh Bains, is the legal counsel in the Irom Roger case and was visiting Imphal on March 17 and 18, 2017, regarding the same issue. On March 22, 2017, he received a phone call from a person claiming to be a cadre of the PLA (banned insurgent group --People’s Liberation Army), threatening him and asking him to drop the case. Mr. Bains lodged an FIR with the Superintendent of Police (CID), Imphal, on March 22, 2017, regarding the death threat. No local lawyer of the Manipur High Court was willing to intervene in the case – they were all fearing for their lives. On May 10, 2017, the petition was filed in the Manipur High Court by Mr. Bains on behalf of Irom Roger’s mother, Ms. Chitra. 

A day after the petition was filed, armed police officers went to Ms. Nepram’s house in an attempt to intimidate her as she is involved in the case. Ms. Nepram filed a complaint about the threats with the Prime Minister’s Office and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs. Now, the police is trying to distort the facts by saying the threats are nothing but exaggerated rumours, instead of taking action on the issue. Finally, Mr. Bains submitted his written statement to the DGP, Manipur, via e-mail.