India, Ireland, Canada commemorate 1985 Air India flight Kanishka bombing

Hindustan Times

5 days ago

For the first time, India, Ireland and Canada are commemorating the 1985 bombing of Air India flight 182 by Khalistani terrorists with events in Cork and New Delhi to pay tribute to the 329 victims of what was the worst act of aviation terrorism until the 9/11 attacks in the US. Union minister Hardeep Puri at a memorial in Cork. (X)
While the anniversary of the worst aviation disaster in Irish and Canadian history has been marked by an annual event organised by the Cork County Council in Ireland, the three countries have joined hands to organise an event in New Delhi for the first time on the 40th anniversary of the attack, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity.
In Cork, an Indian delegation led by Union minister Hardeep Puri joined Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Micheál Martin, Canada's public safety minister Gary Anandasangaree and the ambassadors of India and Canada for a solemn ceremony at a memorial overlooking the ocean to pay tribute to the victims of the bombing of Air India flight 182, also known as Kanishka.
Addressing the event, Puri emphasised the importance of concerted action by the world community against terrorism and called for enhanced security collaboration with Canada to tackle extremism and radicalism. The destruction of the aircraft, which was carrying more than 80 children and citizens of India, Canada, and the UK, in an act of terrorism, is a 'stain on humanity', he said.
'I call upon our Canadian friends in particular to deepen our bilateral collaboration in countering this. Canada is a valued partner and a friend of India. We share vibrant cultural and economic relations with each other, and we are bound by democratic tradition, and those ideals require us to act together against all forms of extremism and terrorism,' Puri said.
'When separatist violence and separatist voices find sanctuary, when extremist figures glorify violence and they threaten not just the people whose lives they take away [and] they threaten societies at large, by working together, sharing intelligence, shutting off funding channels, countering radicalisation, we can ensure that those who continue to promote hate and terror cannot succeed,' he said, in an apparent reference to the activities of pro-Khalistan elements in Canada.
Puri said India's intelligence agencies, security apparatus, and diplomatic channels are committed to partnering with Canada and other countries to tackle terrorism. 'Let us redouble our efforts to ensure that what happened on June 23, 1985, is never repeated, not here, not in India, not anywhere in the world,' he said.
India and Canada launched a reset of their ties at a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney on the margins of the G7 Summit on June 17, following a prolonged diplomatic row triggered by former Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau's allegation in 2023 about Indian agents being linked to the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India dismissed the charge as 'absurd' and the two sides subsequently downgraded diplomatic ties.
Puri urged the world community to make 'collective, proactive efforts' to combat terrorism. 'Sadly, this is not merely an episode of the past; terrorism and extremism remain a very real present-day threat, one that many of our countries know very well,' he said.
He highlighted the role of the local Irish community in identifying the bodies of the victims, collecting the debris of Air India flight 182, and opening their homes to relatives of the victims four decades ago. 'Out of the ruins of a tragedy, the unique friendship between the Irish and Indian peoples was deepened,' he said.
The annual commemoration began with a minute of silence at 8.13am, the exact time the bomb planted by the Khalistani terrorists exploded. Ireland's prime minister has participated in events marking key anniversaries of the bombing, such as every decadal anniversary. The people cited above said the presence of the Indian and Canadian ministers was significant amid ongoing efforts to repair bilateral ties and bolster security cooperation.
The event in New Delhi, which will be held behind closed doors and is being attended by senior Indian, Canadian, and Indian diplomats and officials, will begin with a minute of silence. The event will also be attended by relatives of the victims, the people said.
'The intention is to express solidarity with the victims of this terrible incident and to strengthen counter-terrorism efforts,' one of the people said.
On June 23, 1985, Air India flight 182 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean, about 200 km off the southwest coast of Ireland, after the bomb planted by Khalistani terrorists exploded. All 329 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 747 were killed. A total of 268 passengers were Canadian nationals, most of them of Indian origin, and 27 were UK citizens.
Explosives were placed in suitcases loaded onto at least two planes leaving Vancouver on June 22, 1985. One suitcase blew up while it was being transferred from a Canadian airliner to Air India flight 301 at Japan's Narita airport, killing two baggage handlers.
About an hour later, Air India flight 182, on its way from Montreal to London, disappeared from radar and plunged into the Atlantic Ocean. It took 15 years for Canadian authorities to bring the accused to trial, but a bungled investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police failed to secure sentences for the two men who were charged with the attack.