The Indian missions in Ottawa and Toronto commemorated the 39th anniversary of the 1985 Kanishka bombing on Sunday (23) . This tragic event claimed the lives of 329 people, including 86 children, aboard an Air India flight. This remains one of the most horrific terror-related air disasters in civil aviation history.
High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma paid homage to the victims of Air India flight 182 Kanishka on the 39th anniversary of the “cowardly terrorist bombing.”
High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma paid homage to the victims of Air India flight 182 Kanishka in Ottawa today on the 39th anniversary of the cowardly terrorist bombing in which 329 innocent victims including 86 children, lost their lives.
Addressing the gathering, High… pic.twitter.com/iL4bpg86vh
— India in Canada (@HCI_Ottawa) June 23, 2024
The family members and friends of the Kaniska bombing victims were accompanied by Canadian government officials and Royal Canadian Mounted Police Police Assistant Commissioner, Ireland envoy along with included more than 150 members Indo-Canadian community for the solemn occasion.
The Montreal-New Delhi Air India ‘Kanishka’ Flight 182 exploded 45 minutes before it was supposed to land at London’s Heathrow Airport on June 23, 1985, killing all 329 people on board, most of whom were Canadians of Indian descent. The bombing was attributed to Sikh militants retaliating against ‘Operation Bluestar,’ the 1984 operation to flush out militants from the Golden Temple in the Indian state of Punjab. The Indian mission in Toronto also commemorated the day.
Consul General @S_Nath_S laid a wreath at the Air India 182 memorial, Humber Park, Etobicoke in solemn remembrance of the 329 victims of the terrorist bombing of AI 182 on this day, 39 years ago.@MEAIndia @IndianDiplomacy @HCI_Ottawa pic.twitter.com/dp8ipHfPGl
— IndiainToronto (@IndiainToronto) June 23, 2024
Consul General Siddhartha Nath laid a wreath at the Air India 182 memorial, Humber Park, Etobicoke in solemn remembrance of the 329 victims of the terrorist bombing of AI 182.
In another post on X, the mission said the Consul General also attended the memorial service held at Queen’s Park Toronto for the victims and met with the bereaved families. “In his remarks he highlighted the importance of unified global efforts to combat terrorism and standing firm against its glorification,” it said, sharing a series of photographs.
Dr. S Jaishankar, the Minister of External Affairs in India also posted on X to pay his homage to the Kanishka Bombings victims.
The Canadian police on Friday (21) said the investigations into the bombing of the Air India Flight 182 remain “active and ongoing”, terming it the “longest” and one of the “most complex domestic terrorism” probes.
In a statement, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Assistant Commissioner David Teboul called the bombing the “greatest terror-related loss of life involving and affecting Canadians” in the country’s history as he offered “deepest sympathies, understanding and support to the families of the victims”.
“The Air India investigation is the longest and certainly one of the most complex domestic terrorism investigations that the RCMP has undertaken in our history,” Teboul said. “Our investigative efforts remain active and ongoing,” he said.
