Kongbrailatpam Sharma Nganthoi and Lamnunthem Singson, from opposing sides of a violent divide, are now symbols of shared sorrow and fading enmity.
BY PC Bureau
June 14, 2025 – In a rare moment of unity in Manipur, a state torn by ethnic violence since May 2023, the Meitei and Kuki communities have come together to mourn the loss of two young air hostesses, Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma, a Meitei from Thoubal, and Lamnunthem Singson, a Kuki from Kangpokpi, who perished in the Air India Flight AI 171 crash in Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. The tragedy, which claimed 241 of the 242 people aboard the Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, has prompted shared condolences across ethnic lines, marking the first public expression of collective grief in Manipur in years.
Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma, 21, from Thoubal’s Awang Leikai, joined Air India in April 2023 after being selected during a campus recruitment drive at DM College of Commerce in Imphal. The middle of three sisters, she last messaged her sister Gitanjali at 11:30 AM on June 12, saying she was boarding the London-bound flight and would be unreachable until her return on June 15.
Lamnunthem Singson, 26, a Thadou Kuki from Kangpokpi, joined Air India in 2024. Her family was displaced from Imphal’s Old Lambulane to Kangpokpi after ethnic clashes erupted in May 2023, which left over 250 dead and displaced 60,000. As the sole breadwinner for her widowed mother, Nemneilhing Singson, and three brothers, Lamnunthem spoke to her mother on June 11 about her duty in Ahmedabad. Her family, still reeling from displacement, has not been informed of her death due to their fragile state.
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Shared Grief Across Communities
Manipur’s ethnic violence has created a stark divide between the Meitei-dominated Imphal Valley and the Kuki-majority hill districts like Kangpokpi and Churachandpur. Yet, the loss of Nganthoi and Lamnunthem has elicited an unprecedented outpouring of condolences from both communities.
The Meitei Heritage Society issued a statement: “Nganthoi Sharma and Lamnunthem Singson were daughters of Manipur, their loss a shared tragedy for our state.”
🕯In the heartbreaking Air India crash, we also mourn two daughters of Manipur: flight attendants Nganthoi Sharma Kongbrailatpam (Meitei) & Lamnunthem Singson (Kuki). Let their tragic fate unite us in grief & prayer. May their soul rest in peace! Condolences to their families. pic.twitter.com/n1S4OptjMu
— Meiteilica (@Meiteilica) June 12, 2025
Khuraijam Athouba, convenor of the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), expressed condolences in a video statement posted by @ukhrultimeson X: “The tragic demise of Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma of Thoubal Awang Leikai and Lamnunthem Singson of Kangpokpi is a profound loss for Manipur. We stand with their families in this moment of grief.”
In a separate statement, COCOMI lamented the demise of the duo. “If there is a life beyond this one, and if the soul chooses to return, we pray you come back once again as proud daughters of this very motherland, Manipur.”
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The Thadou Students’ Association General Headquarters (TSA-GHQ) mourned both women: “The Thadou Students’ Association expresses deep sorrow over the tragic crash of Air India Flight AI171, which claimed the lives of Miss Lamnunthem Singson of the Thadou community and Miss Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma of the Meitei community. We extend heartfelt condolences to both bereaved families and assure all necessary assistance.”
Reactions on X
X users from both communities voiced their grief, reflecting the rare unity. @Kamginthan40473
posted: “Heartbreaking loss of Lamnunthem Singson, our Kuki sister, and Nganthoi Sharma, her Meitei colleague. Both were taken too soon in the Ahmedabad crash. May their souls rest in peace.”
@birus_salam wrote: “Two daughters of Manipur, one Kuki, one Meitei, lost in the Air India crash. Their deaths unite us in sorrow. #RIPNganthoi #RIPLamnunthem.”
@indira_laisram wrote: “So many heartbreaking stories emerging from the #AirIndiaPlaneCrash. Among them two young girls from #Manipur : one, a #Meitei from Thoubal; the other, a #Kuki, an internally displaced girl from Sadar Hills. In life, they came from communities divided by conflict and in death, they are a reminder that, in the end, we all share the same fate. Manipur, like most of #Northeast India, may be small, but its impact is huge. From hotels to flights, sports to art and culture, this region does way more than people realise. It keeps shaping India in important ways, even when no one notices. May their tragic end move us to create in life the peace they share in eternity. “
Two young lives, full of dreams & grace, taken too soon in the skies they loved.
Heartbroken by the loss of the brave airhostesses in the tragic crash.
They served with smiles—may they now rest in peace.
Strength to the families & the aviation community. 💔✈️ #AirIndia #manipur pic.twitter.com/23Oa9NA37X— ManipurTruth (@manipur_truth) June 12, 2025
Binalakshmi Nepram @BinaNepram, founder-Manipur Women Gun Survivors Network & Global Alliance of Indigenous Peoples. Recipient, Sean MacBride Peace Prize , write: “Manipur’s precious two daughters in the Ahmedabad Air India Plane Crash that happened today. Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi from Thoubal & Lamnunthen Singson from Kangpokpi were part of Air India Cabin Crew. Our thoughts & prayers with their families.”
A user by the nick of Nocturnal Soul @ApolloKsh, write: From a land torn by conflict, they took flight. In the heavens, they now rest — no longer Meitei or Kuki, but eternal sisters in light and love. May their journey awaken a new dawn of peace in Manipur.
Another user posted, “Lamnunthem and Nganthoi worked together in the skies. Their deaths remind us we are one Manipur. Rest in peace, sisters.”
Yet another user posted, “Nganthoi Sharma and Lamnunthem Singson’s loss is a wound for all Manipuris. Meitei and Kuki mourn together today.”
@samphaipi, an advocate and a Kuki user, expressed deep sorrow: “Heartbreaking to hear about the tragic loss of our Kuki sister, Lamnunthem Singson, and her Meitei colleague, Nganthoi Sharma, in the #AirIndiaCrash. May their souls find eternal peace, and may their families find strength.”
@Nampiromeokuki , another Kuki user, shared a poignant tribute: “Lamnunthem Singson Kuki last birthday with her family — a moment now etched in our hearts forever. She wore her @airindia
uniform with pride, and today, she soars higher than ever, beyond the skies. Gone too soon, but never forgotten. #ForeverInOurHearts.”
Some users also highlighted Lamnunthem’s displacement: “The young Kuki lady was an IDP forcefully driven away from her home in Imphal’s Old Lambulane, the only daughter of a widow who’s bearing the brunt of Manipur Violence in a rented home at Kanggui town today #AhmedabadPlaneCrash.”
Official and Community Responses
Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla stated: “The loss of two young, talented daughters of the state, Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma and Lamnunthem Singson, is truly heartbreaking. Their lives held great promise, and their untimely passing is a deep loss to Manipur.” Former Chief Minister N. Biren Singh posted on X: “It is heartbreaking to share that two young cabin crew members from Manipur, Kongrabailatpam Nganthoi Sharma and Lamnunthem Singson, were among those who lost their lives in today’s Air India crash in Ahmedabad. Both were full of life, serving with dedication and pride.”
Former Chief Minister O. Ibobi Singh visited Nganthoi’s family in Thoubal, calling for an international probe into the crash, which he described as a “deeply troubling aviation disaster.” Local MLA Surjakumar Okram also offered support. In Kangpokpi, residents gathered at Lamnunthem’s rented home in Ngambom Veng, praying for her family.
A Historic Moment
This collective mourning is the first time since the May 2023 violence that Meitei and Kuki communities have publicly grieved together. Vigils in Imphal’s Khuman Lampak and Churachandpur’s Tuibong saw residents holding candles and photos of the women. A Meitei resident at the Imphal vigil said, “They worked as one, and we mourn as one.” A Kuki elder in Kangpokpi added, “Their deaths hurt us all, showing we are still one Manipur.”
