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New Indian Express
3 days ago
- New Indian Express
Ahmedabad plane crash: Mortal remains of one crew member reach Nagaland; another expected to arrive in Manipur soon
GUWAHATI: The mortal remains of Lamnunthem Singson (26), a cabin crew member from Manipur who lost her life in the Ahmedabad plane crash, will reach her home in Manipur's Kuki-majority Kangpokpi district late Thursday evening. The remains were brought to Nagaland's commercial hub Dimapur from Ahmedabad by a flight in the afternoon. After a condolence service, a convoy of vehicles carrying the remains left for Kangpokpi. Family members, relatives, leaders from Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO), Sadar Hills and community organisations were among those who were present at the airport. KSO Sadar Hills general secretary K Shongreng told this newspaper that the last rites would be performed on Friday afternoon. Lamnunthem was from the Kuki-Zo community. Her family lived in the Old Lambulane area of Imphal Valley before moving to Kangpokpi following the outbreak of the ethnic violence in 2023.
Hindustan Times
4 days ago
- Hindustan Times
Kuki AI-171 hostess's body to be handed over via Nagaland
The body of Air India cabin crew member Lamnunthiem Singson, 25, will be handed over to her family on Thursday, people aware of the matter said on Wednesday, after her body was identified through DNA profiling. Members of the Kuki Students Organisation (KSO), Kangpokpi (Manipur), said that Singson's body will be taken to the conflict-torn state via Dimapur airport at 1.30 pm. 'For reasons of safety, the family wished that the mortal remains should not be received in Imphal and brought via Meitei areas to Kangpokpi (hill district). Instead, mortal remains will be received at the Dimapur (Nagaland) airport and then be brought via road to Kangpokpi. Relatives and KSO representatives will start for Dimapur early morning and be there to receive the mortal remains,' said K Shongreng, general secretary of Kuki Students Organisation (KSO), Kangpokpi unit. To be sure, top police officers and government authorities had on Monday and Tuesday met the family and offered a security convoy from Imphal Valley to Kangpokpi, where they are based, if they wish to receive the body at the Imphal airport. Singson's family used to live in Imphal's New Lambulane area, but fled to the hill district of Kangpopki after the conflict broke out in May 2023. Meities too fled the hill districts and retreated to the valley. These enclaves are now protected by local militia with central security forces only acting as a buffer. Meanwhile, the family of another cabin crew from Manipur, Nganthoi K Sharma, said they are yet to get a positive report from the Ahmedabad civil hospital about a positive DNA match. 'We request the authorities to expedite the process. Our families are also waiting back home,' Nganthoi's sister, Geetanjali said. Nganthoi K Sharma, was a Meitei. Lamnunthiem Singson, was a Kuki-Zo. As of Wednesday evening, the mortal remains of at least 170 victims have been handed over to their families, said Dr Rakesh Joshi, superintendent of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital. He said that the authorities have contacted 202 relatives of the deceased so far.
Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Singson's remains to arrive today, kin opt to bypass Imphal
Guwahati/Kolkata: The family of Lamnunthem Singson, a 26-year-old Kuki flight attendant from the ill-fated Ahmedabad-London flight, have opted to transport her mortal remains to Kangpokpi district in Manipur on Thursday via Dimapur airport in Nagaland, avoiding Imphal due to the ongoing ethnic tension. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now After the crash, it was revealed that Singson and her family had relocated from Imphal during the early phases of the 2023 conflict. They currently reside in a rented accommodation in Kangpokpi town. "We have received confirmation about a positive DNA match being found in the sample we had provided. Her remains have been identified," said Marina Singson, the cousin of the crash victim. Marina said her family hopes to give their daughter a traditional farewell in her home state. Kangpokpi deputy commissioner Mahesh Chaudhari said the state govt offered support from Imphal airport to Kangpokpi but they respect the family's decision to travel through Dimapur, acknowledging their emotional state during this difficult period. The aircraft carrying Singson's remains and family members is scheduled to land in Dimapur at 1 pm Thursday, reaching Kangpokpi town by 7.30pm. Chaudhari said security measures are in place for the journey. "I spoke to her mother a day back. She is having a hard time coping with the situation. She says she cannot imagine a life or a future without her only daughter," Marina said. She also expressed gratitude for the support and condolences that have poured in for the family. K Songreng from the Kangpokpi district unit of the Kuki Students' Organization (KSO), which is coordinating Singson's final journey, said travelling through Imphal is not viable at present. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Due to the Meitei-Kuki-Zo tension, the family must now traverse 250 km by road from Dimapur airport to Kangpokpi town via NH2, rather than the shorter 75 km route from Imphal airport. Despite assurances from COCOMI and the Manipur chief secretary regarding safe passage, the KSO representative deemed travel through Imphal unsuitable. Prayer services are planned along the Dimapur route. KSO officials have confirmed Friday's funeral arrangements at a Kangpokpi town public cemetery. Local Kuki women are organising a reception at the rented residence where Singson's relatives will bring the remains from Ahmedabad. "This is the biggest possible tragedy for the families to lose their young daughters in this manner. It is immoral and simply wrong to exploit this human tragedy for a vested interest by playing politics over the dead bodies," said Meitei Heritage Society in a media release. The organisation believes that politics is being played by some groups with vested interests over bringing Singson's body through Imphal airport. Meanwhile, Gitanjali Kongbrailatpam, whose 20-year-old Meitei sister Kongbrailatpam Nganthoi Sharma was also aboard in the same flight, is in Ahmedabad since June 13 waiting for DNA results. "We are eagerly waiting in the hotel, after they took my sample for DNA matching. They (hospital officials) told us to wait and keep patience," Gitanjali said. "DNA samples of 200-odd victims matched. Hopefully, DNAs of the rest, including my sister, will match today or tomorrow. It's been so long, we just need a confirmation call from the hospital," Gitanjali said. She expressed regret about limited communication with Nganthoi on the day of the incident. "She only sent me a text message sharing the flight timing. She did not talk much that day," she added.
Time of India
18-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Manipur Police file FIR against Kuki leader for threatening Meiteis
Guwahati: Manipur Police have filed an FIR against Paojakhup Guite, the president of the Kuki Student Organisation (KSO), Delhi & NCR, for threatening not to allow Meiteis to cross the buffer zone to attend the Shirui Lily Festival next week in Manipur's Ukhrul district. Manipur Police assured full security to everyone attending the fifth edition of the state-level festival in Ukhrul district, which is predominantly inhabited by Nagas. The police already launched a search operation to nab Guite, besides requesting its neighbouring northeastern states to apprehend the Kuki organisation leader. "As regards to one Paojakhup Guite, Prez KSO Delhi threats (in a video) to the Meitei, to not allow to cross the buffer zone to attend the upcoming Shirui Festival in Ukhrul, which is circulated in social media since yesterday," Manipur Police said in a post on 'X' on Saturday. Churachandpur district police registered the FIR, stating that all efforts, including raids in nearby districts, are being made for his immediate arrest. "The police of neighbouring states of Mizoram, Assam, Nagaland & Meghalaya etc have been requested for arresting him as quickly as possible," read the post. The KSO, Delhi & NCR, on the other hand, condemned the lodging of the FIR against Guite. The organisation called the FIR 'politically motivated'. "This spurious and vindictive move is nothing short of an assault on democratic values and a blatant attempt to criminalise the voice of a historically oppressed and marginalised community," KSO, Delhi & NCR, said in a statement. The organisation said that Guite's recent public address in Churachandpur — where he critically questioned the true motives behind the organisation of the Shirui Lily Festival — highlighted 'valid concerns about deliberate encroachments on demarcated buffer zones, which were established to maintain peace amid a devastating ethnic conflict'. "His words echoed the deeply rooted fears of the Kuki people, who have long endured state apathy, systemic exclusion, and institutionalised discrimination," the organisation said. The KSO, Delhi & NCR, observed the FIR not merely as an attack on their president but as part of a broader and dangerous campaign to delegitimise Kuki leadership. The organisation demanded the unconditional and immediate withdrawal of the FIR against Guite. "Let it be crystal clear: speaking truth to power is not sedition — it is an act of democratic courage. We will continue to speak, to mobilise, and to resist every act of state repression with unwavering determination and collective strength. The fight for justice is far from over, and our voices will only grow louder," the organisation said. The Shirui Festival is organised in honour of Manipur's state flower, the Shirui Lily. The flower is found in the hills of the Tangkhul Naga-majority Ukhrul district. The festival is scheduled from May 20 to May 24, and the nearly 80km route from Imphal to the Ukhrul district headquarters passes through several villages inhabited by Kukis, who have been at loggerheads with the Meiteis since the beginning of the ethnic conflict in Manipur in May 2023.
India Today
17-05-2025
- India Today
Manipur: Case against Kuki student leader who threatened Meiteis ahead of festival
A case has been registered against Paojakhup Guite, president of the Kuki Students' Organisation (KSO), Delhi, after a video surfaced on social media allegedly showing him issuing threats to the Meitei community, warning them not to cross the buffer zone to attend the upcoming Shirui Lily Festival in two communities have been at loggerheads, resulting in widespread ethnic violence that has ravaged the state since May Police confirmed an FIR has been registered against Guite and stated that a search operation to nab him has been launched. "As regards to one Paojakhup Guite, President of KSO Delhi, who threatened the Meitei community in a video circulated on social media, an FIR has been registered. Raids are being conducted in nearby districts for his immediate arrest," Manipur Police said in a post on an effort to expedite the search, authorities have also reached out to police departments in neighbouring states — Mizoram, Assam, Nagaland, and Meghalaya — seeking assistance in locating and apprehending Guite."The police of neighbouring states of Mizoram, Assam, Nagaland & Meghalaya etc have been requested for arresting him as quickly as possible. All necessary security arrangements shall be made to ensure security of people attending the Shirui festival," the post further security has been heightened ahead of the 5th Shirui Lily Festival, scheduled to take place from May 20 to 24 in Manipur's Ukhrul district. Law enforcement agencies have assured the public of robust security arrangements to ensure the festival proceeds peacefully and without Shirui Lily Festival, a state-level cultural celebration named after the rare Shirui Lily found in the region, is being held outside Imphal city for the first Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla recently chaired a preparatory meeting of the festival's organising facilitate public participation, the Manipur State Transport (MST) has announced special bus services from Imphal to Ukhrul from May 20 to 24. Three buses will operate daily between the Inter-State Bus Terminal (ISBT), Imphal, and Shirui Public Ground, Ukhrul, with tickets priced at Rs 200 per continue to monitor the situation closely and have urged citizens to maintain peace and harmony during the festival ETHNIC VIOLENCEOn May 3, 2023, ethnic violence erupted in Manipur between the Meitei people, a majority that lives in the Imphal Valley, and the Kuki-Zo tribal community from the surrounding hills following a High Court's order that recommended a Scheduled Tribe status for the dominant Meitei led to the death of nearly 250 people and 60,000 others were displaced. This decision was later criticised by the Supreme Watch IN THIS STORY#Manipur
