For the family of Lamnunthem Singson, a victim of the Ahmedabad Air India plane crash, bringing their daughter home is a complex task. While DNA tests confirm her identity, the Kuki family, residing in Kangpokpi after being displaced from Imphal, has opted to receive her remains in Dimapur rather than accept assistance from a Meitei organization, citing safety and a desire to avoid politicizing her death amidst Manipur’s ethnic strife.
BY PC Bureau
June 18, 2025 – The identity of Lamnunthem Singson, a 26-year-old Air India cabin crew member and a native of Kangpokpi, Manipur, who tragically perished in the recent Air India Flight AI171 crash in Ahmedabad, has been officially confirmed through DNA testing. The completion of this crucial step brings a measure of closure to her grieving family, though the logistics of her repatriation highlight the ongoing ethnic tensions in Manipur.
Lamnunthem Singson was among the 241 passengers and crew aboard Air India Flight AI171, a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London Gatwick, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Ahmedabad on June 12, 2025. The horrific incident claimed 279 lives, including 38 on the ground, making it one of India’s deadliest aviation disasters. Singson, who had joined Air India in 2024, was the sole earning member of her family, a Kuki family that had been displaced from Imphal during the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur and was living in a rented house in Kangpokpi. Her cousin had revealed that she last spoke to her widowed mother on June 11, discussing her upcoming flight.
Tragically, Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma, a 20-year-old Meitei woman from Thoubal district, also a cabin crew member on the same flight, lost her life in the crash. Nganthoi, who had been with Air India for three years and was based in Mumbai, was a middle child among three siblings. Her family recounted her fears of plane crashes to news agencies, a chilling premonition that has now become a devastating reality. The deaths of both Singson and Sharma underscore the profound loss felt across Manipur, transcending the communal lines that have otherwise divided the state.
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Due to the unavailability of direct flights to Dimapur today, Singson’s mortal remains are scheduled to be flown tomorrow. The Kuki Union, Dimapur, will receive the body upon its arrival. From Dimapur, a solemn procession will escort her remains to her hometown of Kangpokpi. Members of the Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) Sadar Hills and numerous other community members are expected to accompany the body on this final journey.
However, the repatriation process has been underscored by the deep-seated ethnic divide in Manipur. The Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), a prominent Meitei civil society organization, had offered to receive Singson’s body at Imphal airport and facilitate her family to reach there. This offer, however, was rejected by Singson’s family.
. This decision reflects the prevailing distrust and animosity between the Kuki and Meitei communities in Manipur. The ongoing ethnic conflict, which flared up in May 2023, has led to a geographical and emotional divide, making safe passage for individuals of one community through areas dominated by the other extremely challenging.
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Kuki organizations view COCOMI’s gesture as an attempt to “score political points” and portray themselves as peacemakers, while Kuki individuals cannot realistically travel through Imphal given the current situation. The Kuki community’s demand for a “separate administration” continues to be a central point of contention in the conflict, further exacerbating the communal divide.
As Lamnunthem Singson’s remains prepare to return home, her tragic death not only highlights the devastating human cost of the Ahmedabad air crash but also sadly brings into sharp focus the deep-seated ethnic fault lines that continue to grip Manipur. The journey of her mortal remains will be a poignant reminder of both personal loss and societal fragmentation.
