Canada: Victims of Air India `Kanishka' 1985 bombing remembered

The City of Mississauga office lowered its flags at half-mast on Friday in honour of the 38th anniversary of the 1985 terrorist attack on Air India Flight 182 that killed 329 passengers, most of whom were Canadians.

The City of Mississauga office lowered its flags at half-mast on Friday in honour of the 38th anniversary of the 1985 terrorist attack on Air India Flight 182 that killed 329 passengers, most of whom were Canadians. June 23 is remembered as the National Day of Remembrance for victims of Terrorism.

As Canada observed the Kanishka plane crash anniversary, posters across roads in Greater Toronto areas read: "Khalistan ideology brought the largest act of terrorism on Canadians" and "Deadliest Terror Attack in Canadian History - 329 killed by Khalistani Terrorist". Liberal MP Chandra Arya issued a video message on Twitter saying, "Today is National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism. 38 years back, on this day, Air India Flight 182 operating on the Montreal-London-Delhi-Mumbai route was blown-up mid-air from a bomb planted by Canadian Khalistani extremists. It killed all 329 passengers and crew members, including 268 Canadian citizens who were mostly Indo-Canadians".

Calling the attack the "largest mass killing" in Canadian history, Chandra Arya condemned the recent tableau parade in Ontario celebrating the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. "The bombing of this Air India Flight is the largest mass killing in Canadian history. It was the deadliest act of aviation terrorism in the world until 9/11. Unfortunately, many Canadians are not aware that even today, the ideology responsible for this terrorist attack is still alive among few people in Canada. Recent celebrations of the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by Khalistan supporters, glorifying violence and hate, attacks on Hindu temples, and honouring the convicted killer of the Air India bombing, all these shows that the dark forces have been energized again and point to dreadful times ahead," he said on Twitter.

"I strongly urge authorities at all levels of the government to take note that the ideology responsible for the Air India bombing is very active again in Canada. We need to be vigilant. On this National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism, my sympathies are with the families of the victims. Their pain never goes away. I stand in solidarity with them," said Arya. Canada's MP Marie-Helene Gaudreau also raised a question in the country's parliament demanding a public inquiry into the bombing of the Air India flight, which was believed to be the handiwork of Khalistani terrorists.

MP Gaudreau belongs to Canada's Bloc Quebecois party. Public Safety Canada's website stated, "On June 23, 1985, a bomb exploded on Air India Flight 182 en route from Toronto to London, England killing all 329 people aboard, most of them Canadians. Thirty-eight years later, the Air India bombing is still the worst terrorist attack in Canadian history."

It further added that the Canadian government has taken multiple steps to investigate the incident and memorials erected will always stand as a reminder of the horrific attack. "Since that terrible day in June 1985, the Government of Canada has worked to investigate the crash of Flight 182, to bring the perpetrators of this act to justice, and to make the necessary changes to our policies, regulations and legislation to safeguard Canadians from terror. The Government has also continually adjusted its approach to airline and national security, and security intelligence," the website stated.

It added, "In 2007, the Government of Canada established a program to erect three new memorials and to refurbish an existing one in Ottawa so that Canadians would never forget the tragedy. The fourth and final memorial was dedicated in Montreal to remember the victims, following those dedicated in Toronto, Vancouver and Ottawa. These memorials will forever stand as a reminder of the innocent lives lost during a very sad chapter in our shared history." (ANI)

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