By Sharanya Gopinathan

Binalakshmi Nepram, a prominent human rights activist from Manipur, has allegedly been threatened by state police after she spoke out on Twitter about a road rage case involving Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s son.

She told Hindustan Times that a heavily armed group of police arrived at her parents house. She wasn’t at home, but her parents, both above the age of 80, were badly shaken. She tweeted at various Union ministers and the Prime Minister of India.

On 12 May heavily armed #Manipur State police force came to my parental home & intimidated our family~@PMOIndia @rajnathsingh @KirenRijiju

— Binalakshmi Nepram (@BinaNepram) May 13, 2017

Dear MoS @KirenRijiju pl intervene stop harassment law abiding citizens done by #Manipur Govt & their machineries to cover rights violations

— Binalakshmi Nepram (@BinaNepram) May 13, 2017

We STRONGLY condemn #Manipur Government & Police for intimidating us for supporting survivors families to get justice @PMOIndia @KirenRijiju

— Binalakshmi Nepram (@BinaNepram) May 13, 2017

#Manipur police shld not be used by some of our corrupt politicians to cover crimes committed by them/their families @PMOIndia @KirenRijiju

— Binalakshmi Nepram (@BinaNepram) May 13, 2017

She believes that the action was taken against her because of her activist work over the last decade. She’s the founder of the Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network, and the convener of the North East India Women Initiative for Peace.

More specifically, it seems that a particular incident set off this blatant violation of state machinery. The son of Chief Minister Biren Singh, Ajay Meetei, is involved in a road rage case that ended in the death of one man. The Supreme Court lawyer representing the victim received death threats from underground outfits, following which Nepram tweeted her support for the lawyer and her sadness at the events that were taking place. A day after she posted this tweet, the police landed at her house.

The mainstream media has been quick to quote the police’s statement that she was not threatened, to which she responded by asking whether turning up heavily armed at someone’s residence was not threatening intimidation?