Manipur: Meitei and Kuki united by two colleagues killed in plane crash

The two women belonged to the ethnic groups clashing in Imphal and were crew members on the flight that crashed in Ahmedabad. In the great tragedy, a sign of unity beyond conflict

Imphal (AsiaNews) - United in grief: Manipur is in mourning for the tragic loss of two cabin crew members - a Kuki woman and a Meitei woman - in Thursday's Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad. Two years after a violent local conflict that claimed hundreds of lives, this tragedy is uniting the Kuki-Zo and Meitei communities in shared grief.

Lamnunthiem Singson, a Kuki Zo, and Nganthoi Sharma Kongbrailakpam, a Meitei girl, were both part of the 10-member cabin crew on board the ill-fated Air India flight. Lamnunthem Singson belonged to the Kuki-Zo community and had been displaced from Imphal to Kangpokpi due to the ongoing ethnic conflict.

From politicians to ordinary citizens, both within Manipur and beyond its borders, expressions of disbelief and grief have poured in. One user of “X” wrote: ‘In life, they came from communities divided by conflict, and in death, they remind us that, in the end, we all share the same destiny.’

‘The people of Manipur are collectively shocked, putting aside their narrow communal divisions. Tragically, in their death, these angels from heaven have united the two communities, leaving a grim reminder of how precious human lives are and of the need for peaceful coexistence, as we have done for centuries,’ said a spokesperson for the Delhi-based Meitei Heritage Society.

In a gesture of remembrance, the Kuki Students Organisation (KSO) in Delhi announced a torchlight march to honour all the victims of the disaster.

Former Chief Minister N Biren Singh tweeted on Thursday evening, saying that two young girls from Manipur, one Kuki-Zo and one Meitei, had probably lost their lives in the Ahmedabad plane crash.

‘It is heartbreaking to share that two young cabin crew members from Manipur, Kongrabailatpam Nganthoi Sharma and Lamnunthem Singson, are among those who lost their lives in today's Air India disaster in Ahmedabad,’ he wrote on “X”.

‘They were both full of life, serving with dedication and pride. Their sudden passing is a great loss to their families, friends and all of us at home,’ he added, concluding: ‘May their souls rest in peace and may their loved ones find the strength to overcome this unimaginable pain.’

Nandesh Kumar Sharma, father of Nganthoi Sharma Kongbrailatpam, said: ‘We [the Kuki and Meitei communities] do not talk to each other here in Manipur, but my daughter and Lamnunthem Singson worked together as friends in other states.’

‘I pray that the souls of both girls are at peace. I saw in the news that the Kuki family is also praying, just like us.’