India announces memorial for Air India bombing victims
Ottawa: Sending a clear message following the Canadian Parliament’s minute of silence for Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Indian Consulate General in Vancouver announced a memorial service to honour the 329 victims of the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 Kanishka, perpetrated by Khalistani terrorists.
India’s Consulate General highlighted the country’s ongoing commitment to countering terrorism and called attention to the tragic Kanishka bombing, one of the most heinous terror-related air disasters in civil aviation history. The Montreal-New Delhi Air India Flight 182 exploded 45 minutes before it was to land at London’s Heathrow Airport on June 23, 1985, killing all 329 passengers, most of whom were Canadians of Indian descent. Sikh militants, retaliating against ‘Operation Bluestar’ in 1984, were blamed for the attack. The Indian Consulate General’s memorial service will take place on June 23 at the Air India Memorial at Stanley Park’s Ceperley Playground area in Vancouver. The Consulate has urged the Indian diaspora to join the event to demonstrate solidarity against terrorism. “India stands at the forefront of countering the menace of terrorism and works closely with all nations to tackle this global threat,” the Consulate posted on social media platform X. This commemoration comes amid ongoing tension between India and Canada over the issue of Khalistani terrorism. Relations have been strained since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged in September last year that Indian agents were “potentially” involved in the killing of Nijjar, a designated Sikh terrorist. India has vehemently denied these allegations, calling them “absurd and motivated.”
India has consistently expressed its concerns over Canada’s perceived tolerance of pro-Khalistan elements operating freely on Canadian soil. New Delhi has urged Ottawa to take strong action against these elements.
The Canadian Parliament’s moment of silence for Nijjar, who was shot dead outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023, was marked by Speaker Greg Fergus acknowledging an agreement among all party representatives to honour Nijjar’s memory. Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was designated a terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency in 2020 and was listed among 40 other ‘designated terrorists’ by the Indian government.
