The mortal remains of Lamnunthem Singson, one of the two Air India cabin crew members from Manipur killed in the June 12 Ahmedabad air crash, will be flown to Dimapur in Nagaland on Thursday before being taken to her hometown Kangpokpi through NH2.
Reports from Kangpokpi said that the DNA of Singson matched with that of her mother Heni who was in Ahmedabad along with her nephew.
The family was informed about the DNA match on Wednesday, ending a “painful wait” for the family and Kangpokpi, which started preparations for receiving her mortal remains.
Singson, 26, hailing from the Kuki-Zo community, died along with her colleague Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma, a 22-year-old Meitei from Thoubal. The Ahmedabad-London flight crashed soon after taking off, killing 242 on board except a British national.
The decision to fly the mortal remains to Dimapur was taken by the family even though a leading Meitei-based organisation, the Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (Cocomi) had on June 16 not only issued an appeal to all sections of the society and the state government to ensure a “dignified return” of the mortal remains of the two Air India crew members to their respective homes but also assured the bereaved families to receive “their daughters at the airport without hesitation”.
The Cocomi's assurance assumed significance because since the ongoing conflict involving the Meiteis and the Kuki-Zos began on May 3, 2023, Kuki-Zos cannot travel to Meitei-majority Imphal Valley, where the airport is located, just like the Meiteis can’t venture into the Kuki-Zo dominated hill districts for security reasons.
The family of Singson, who joined the airline three years ago, had to relocate from Meitei-majority Imphal city to Kangpokpi in the wake of the conflict.
A Kuki-Zo community leader reacting to the decision to fly the mortal remains to Dimapur airport said it was guided by security reasons because of the ground situation — the decision reflecting the deep divide and distrust among the warring communities.
Though both communities are yet to find a way to resolve the conflict which has left at least 263 dead and over 60,000 displaced, the two communities were on the same page while mourning the demise of the two crash victims.
The Kuki-Zo leader also said the mortal remains will reach Dispur by 1.30pm, barring last-minute changes and that the Kuki Union Dimapur will help receive the body from the airport.