After 39 years, justice remains elusive for the 329 victims of Air India Fligh-182 (Kanishka) bombing. Observing a memorial service to honour the victims of the heinous act of terrorism, in Ottawa, Indian High Commissioner in Canada Sanjay Verma said, “We still await for full and desired justice to the families of the victims of the bombing. No government in the world should overlook the threat of terrorism emanating from its territories for political gains.”
The disastrous event of June 23, 1985, took 329 lives including 86 children when a bomb blew open a hole in the left aft fuselage of the Air India Flight 182, which was en route from Montreal to London. The aircraft, which bore the name ‘Kanishka’, was blown apart, falling approximately 31,000 feet below into the Atlantic Ocean off the south-west coast of Ireland. All 329 people on board were killed, including 268 Canadian citizens, 24 Indian citizens, and 37 citizens of the United Kingdom. The majority of the victims were of Indian descent. The bombing was orchestrated by Sikh extremists based in Canada.
Speaking of the incident, Verma said that the act of terrorism was not just an attack on the passengers and crew of Flight 182 but also an assault on the values of tolerance, multiculturalism, and international cooperation. “The victims were not only Canadians, Indians, or British citizens; they were global citizens — each with dreams, aspirations, and loved ones left behind to grieve an unimaginable loss,” he said.
The Air India Bombing remains one of the deadliest incidents of terrorism. Ironically, the perpetrators of the deadly terrorist act largely went unpunished as the investigators in the case never found out who all were behind this crime. Inderjit Singh Reyat, a Canadian Sikh, was the only person convicted in the bombing. He pleaded guilty in 2003 to manslaughter for assembling the bombs and was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
The investigation into the 1985 bombing was led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), with assistance from international agencies such as the FBI and Irish police. Days before the 39th anniversary of the bombing, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) issued a statement saying that, “investigative efforts remain active and ongoing” in the Kanishka bombing case. “We must never forget those innocent lives lost to this tragedy and other acts of terrorism,” said the statement from Dave Teboul, Pacific Region Commander, Federal Policing RCMP.
The Khalistani elements, which have crimes like the Kanishka bombing in their name, have again become active in the social and political landscape of Canada. This has seen a significant surge in the last few years as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has joined hands with new political partners who provide necessary numbers in the parliament for the Trudeau government to remain afloat. One of his alliance partners, New Democratic Party (NDP) and its leader Jagmeet Singh Dhaliwal, have been notorious for backing Khalistani elements in Canada.
Understandably, the Trudeau government’s oversight on the acts of vandalism, threat and intimidation to Indian community members and even Indian diplomats in Canada seems more like a political compulsion. Nevertheless, the cost that the Canadian Prime Minister is paying to remain in power by making an alliance with extremist elements may totally boomerang for Canadian society in the long run.
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