Body of Kuki flight attendant from Manipur to land in Nagaland, take detour around Meitei areas | India News

GUWAHATI/KOLKATA: Kuki flight attendant Lamnunthem Singson, one of the crew aboard Air India Flight 171, will be laid to rest in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district on Friday – her body transported via Dimapur, not Imphal, as ethnic violence carves detours into grief.The 26-year-old’s remains were released to her family Wednesday after DNA confirmation with her brother. The aircraft carrying her body is scheduled to land in Nagaland’s Dimapur airport at 1pm Thursday, with a 250km road journey through NH2 to Kangpokpi town expected to end by 7.30pm. Imphal, a mere 75km from Kangpokpi, was ruled out.The family, displaced from Imphal in 2023 during the Meitei-Kuki conflict, now lives in a rented house in Kangpokpi. The decision to avoid Imphal stemmed from fears of fresh unrest despite official guarantees. Kangpokpi DC Mahesh Chaudhari assured that security measures are in place. “We respect the family’s emotional state,” he said.Kuki Students’ Organisation (KSO) member K Songreng is coordinating the final journey. He said Imphal was “not viable” amid ongoing tensions. “Prayer services are planned along the Dimapur route,” he said.A funeral will be held Friday at a public cemetery in Kangpokpi. Local Kuki women are preparing a reception at the family’s home, where relatives will arrive from Ahmedabad with the remains. Singson’s colleague aboard the flight that crashed on June 12 in Ahmedabad was 20-year-old Kongbrailatpam Nganth8oi Sharma, a Meitei woman from Imphal. Her sister Gitanjali, in Ahmedabad since June 13, awaits a DNA match.“They told us to wait and keep patience,” said Gitanjali. “She only sent me a message sharing the flight timing. She didn’t talk much that day.” Over 200 DNA identifications have been confirmed. “We just need a call from the hospital,” she said.Meitei Heritage Society issued a statement condemning attempts to politicise the tragedy. “It is immoral and simply wrong to exploit this human tragedy for vested interests by playing politics over the dead bodies,” it said. The crash now trails two long, fractured journeys home.