New Delhi: India reiterated its deep concerns about the threat posed by Canada-based Khalistani elements by recalling the deadly bombing of Air India flight 182 exactly 39 years ago.
The Boeing 747-237B aircraft, named Kanishka, disintegrated and fell into the Atlantic Ocean after a bomb planted by Canadian Sikh terrorists exploded. All 329 people on board the airliner were killed, including more than 270 Canadian citizens, mostly of Indian origin, and 24 Indians.
It was the worst aviation-related terrorist strike until the even more devastating 9/11 attacks in the USA by Al-Qaeda.
India’s External Affairs minister S Jaishankar pointed out on the 39th anniversary of the Kanishka bombing that the attack was a reminder why terrorism should never be tolerated.
“Today marks the 39th anniversary of one of the worst acts of terrorism in history. Pay my homage to the memory of the 329 victims of AI 182 ‘Kanishka’ who were killed this day in 1985. My thoughts are with their families. The anniversary is a reminder why terrorism should never be tolerated,” Jaishankar wrote on X.
On Sunday, the Indian High Commission in Ottawa organised a ceremony on Sunday to pay homage to the Kanishka bombing victims, days after Canadian Parliament observed a minute’s silence on the first anniversary of the killing of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“No government in the world should overlook the threat of terrorism emanating from its territories for political gains. Human lives are much more important than the transitory political interests,” Indian high commissioner Sanjay Verma said while addressing the ceremony, referring to Canada’s inaction against Khalistani elements despite several complaints by India.
Declared a terrorist by the Indian government, Nijjar’s murder a year ago has been a thorn in Indo-Canadian relations.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last year said that Canada suspected Indian agencies to be involved in the killing of Nijjar on Canadian soil.
