Patna: All family members of Manisha Thapa, a native of Patna and a crew member of Air India flight AI-171 that crashed in Ahmedabad on Thursday, are traumatised beyond words.
Manisha’s family resides near Shyama Apartment at Jagdeo Path, barely 500 metres from the Bihar Special Armed Police (BSAP) battalion headquarters, in the state capital.
Manisha’s two uncles--Guddu Bahadur Thapa and Babloo Thapa—both havildars in BSAP, said that they received information about the tragic incident from Manish’s friend over phone around 2 pm. Later, family members left for Ahmedabad after receiving information about the tragic incident.
Both Guddu and Babloo are currently posted as havildars at BSAP battalion headquarters in the state capital. Manisha’s father Raju Thapa is posted in Bihar’s Begusarai district while her mother Laxmi Thapa is a housewife. Manisha’s younger brother Amit Thapa is pursuing graduation from a Patna based college.
Manisha’s mother’s condition worsened after receiving shocking news. She has been under the supervision of a doctor ever since she came to know about the incident, said a family member, sitting beside Laxmi to console her.
Recalling Manisha, Guddu Thapa said that she was good at studies from the very beginning. After graduating from St. Xaviers’ College, Patna, she joined Indigo Airlines as an air hostess in Patna. However, she switched over to Air India for better job opportunities. “Very difficult to accept that she is no more,” Guddu said with tears rolling down her cheeks.
Thapas are natives of Biratnagar in Nepal but they settled in Patna after Manisha`s father was inducted in BSAP 1, having its headquarters in Patna.
Manisha’s neighbours too shared their memories with her, saying that she was very modest and mild. “She was very humble and used to meet people with a smile, making her different from others,” said a neighbour Babita Sinha.
Meanwhile, Bihar government has started a helpline number, appealing to people to provide information about any victim of the Ahmedabad plane clash hailing from the state.
In a statement, the Disaster Management Department (DMD) said that anybody having information about victims of the plane crash hailing from Bihar can share information on helplines, 0612-2294204, 0612-2294205 and 1070.
The DMD will provide all assistance to the victim, if any, hailing from the state, in that case, it said.
