New Delhi: India, Canada and Ireland paid homage to the victims of the Kanishka bombing on Monday, to mark 40 years of the ghastly terrorist attack that claimed 329 innocent lives. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar described the attack as “one of the worst acts of terrorism.”
This is a “stark reminder” of why the world must show “zero tolerance” towards terrorism and violent extremism, Jaishankar posted on X.
“On the 40th anniversary of Air India 182 ‘Kanishka’ bombing, we honour the memory of the 329 lives lost in one of the worst acts of terrorism. A stark reminder of why the world must show zero tolerance towards terrorism and violent extremism,” Jaishankar said.
During the day, India’s Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri, Irish prime minister Micheal Martin, and Canadian minister of public safety Gary Anandasangaree, laid a wreath at the Ahakista Memorial in Cork in Ireland, as a mark of respect for the victims.
On June 23, 1985, Air India Flight 182 ‘Kanishka’, flying from Toronto in Canada to Mumbai, was blown up by the Canada-based Khalistani terrorist group Babbar Khalsa near Cork, resulting in the deaths of all 329 passengers on board.
An Indian delegation reached Ireland to attend the sombre event. The delegation, led by Puri, includes several BJP MLAs from across the country, the party’s national general secretary Tarun Chugh and India’s Ambassador to Ireland, Akhilesh Mishra.
“Very honoured to be here in Ahakista this morning on the 40th anniversary of that terrible day in 1985 that saw the Air India flight cruelly and horrifically brought down off our coastline. It’s always a privilege and honour to attend this sober commemoration and to witness the dignity, dedication and care with which you remember your loved ones who died so horrifically 40 years ago today,” the Irish PM said.
“329 innocent people lost their lives over the skies of Ireland that morning, and the passing of time does not dim the scale of loss and this atrocity. We feel the enormity of your loss when we see the faces and read the stories on the memorial here, before us. Especially moving are these simple descriptions: student, child, so many young lives taken far too soon. While the scale of this horrific act is of global significance, we should never forget that it is an intensely personal tragedy. The loss and grief felt by you, the families and loved ones of the people who died that June morning in 1985 is deeply personal. One only needs to come here in any year and listen to you speak, witness you placing flowers into the sea or laying wreaths to understand how powerful that grief endures,” he added.
