Amid Manipur unrest, Air India crash victim Lamnunthem Singson's body avoids Imphal return
Kuki-Zo flight attendant’s family cites security concerns, opts for alternate route via Nagaland
funeral held in Kangpokpi
Imphal: Amid continuing ethnic tensions in Manipur, the family of Lamnunthem Singson, a Kuki-Zo flight attendant who died in the recent Ahmedabad-London Air India crash, chose not to bring her mortal remains to Imphal. According to The Wire, despite assurances from the Manipur government, Indian Army, and civil society group COCOMI, the family opted to transport her body through Dimapur in Nagaland and then drive 160 kilometers to their home in Kangpokpi district.
Singson was the sole breadwinner for her family and is survived by her mother Nemneilhing and three siblings—Gouneo, Lamnunthem, and Justin. Originally from Old Lambulane in Imphal, one of the oldest Kuki-majority neighborhoods in the city, the family was displaced by ethnic violence in May 2023.
The Wire quoted her cousin Henry, who said, “The irony is heartbreaking. Her grandfather, C.L. Singson, was a former IAS officer and chairman of the Manipur Public Service Commission. Her aunt also served in the IAS. Yet, the family had to flee and now avoids Imphal out of wisdom—not fear. The valley remains volatile.”
The Imphal airport, Manipur’s only airport, is located in the Meitei-majority valley, now largely inaccessible to displaced Kuki families. Though the central government announced helicopter services for Kuki residents in 2023, The Wire found no one has used the facility to date.
In a June 16 statement, COCOMI had appealed for public support in receiving the bodies of both flight attendants from Manipur—Singson and Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma (from the Meitei community). The Manipur Chief Secretary echoed this, saying the government had made arrangements to return the bodies “with full dignity and respect,” but would honor the families’ final wishes.
Still, mistrust prevails. As The Wire noted, in one of the most haunting incidents during the conflict, an ambulance carrying a child and caregivers was torched in May 2023. All inside were burned alive.
On June 19, the very day Singson’s body was scheduled to arrive in Imphal, fresh violence was reported. A Kuki woman, Hoikholhing, wife of the Langchingmanbi village chief, was killed. In another incident, a Meitei farmer was shot in Bishnupur district, prompting security forces to launch operations in surrounding areas.
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Kasaragod: Government Medical College gets first MBBS student from Rajasthan
Kasaragod: The Government Medical College, which recently secured the National Medical Commission’s approval, admitted its first MBBS student on Monday, with Gurwinder Singh from Alwar in Rajasthan becoming the first of the 50 students in the inaugural batch of the College.
Singh received a warm welcome into the College with sweets by Principal-in-Charge Dr. KK Santosh Kumar and Medical Superintendent Dr Praveen. The admission procedure was formally completed with the recording of his attendance, reports On Manorama.
The College has seven seats reserved for candidates from the All-India rank list, and Singh qualified for a seat in the College under the All-India Medical Entrance quota.
Unlike the other government medical colleges in the state, where classes started this week after the admission of students during the first round of counseling, the Kasaragod Medical College had to wait for approval from the National Medical Commission. The College received the approval and began enrolling students after conclusion of counseling.
The classes will begin on September 30, after completion of Phase 2 of allotment. The first batch students are currently provided temporary hostel facilities at Cherkkala.
While the second student under the All-India rank list is expected to join the College today, the authorities have said they cannot guarantee how long the new students will remain, adding that some students may opt to move to other colleges if they are allotted seats there.
