Canada remembers Air India `Kanishka’ victims of 1985 bombing

Air India. Image credit Chandra Arya Twitter page

IBNS: The City of Mississauga office on Friday observed the  38th anniversary of the 1985 terrorist attack on Air India Flight by lowering its flags at half-mast.

June 23 is remembered as the National Day of Remembrance for victims of Terrorism, reports ANI.

As Canada observed the Kanishka plane crash anniversary, posters across roads in Greater Toronto areas read: “Khalistan ideology brought the largest act of terrorism on Canadians” and “Deadliest Terror Attack in Canadian History – 329 killed by Khalistani Terrorist”.

Liberal MP Chandra Arya marked the day and posted a video on Twitter where he said: “Today is National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism. 38 years back, on this day, Air India Flight 182 operating on the Montreal-London-Delhi-Mumbai route was blown-up mid-air from a bomb planted by Canadian Khalistani extremists. It killed all 329 passengers and crew members, including 268 Canadian citizens who were mostly Indo-Canadians.”

Calling the attack the “largest mass killing” in Canadian history, Chandra Arya condemned the recent tableau parade in Ontario celebrating the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

“The bombing of this Air India Flight is the largest mass killing in Canadian history. It was the deadliest act of aviation terrorism in the world until 9/11. Unfortunately, many Canadians are not aware that even today, the ideology responsible for this terrorist attack is still alive among few people in Canada. Recent celebrations of the assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by Khalistan supporters, glorifying violence and hate, attacks on Hindu temples, and honouring the convicted killer of the Air India bombing, all these shows that the dark forces have been energized again and point to dreadful times ahead,” he said on Twitter.

“I strongly urge authorities at all levels of the government to take note that the ideology responsible for the Air India bombing is very active again in Canada. We need to be vigilant. On this National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism, my sympathies are with the families of the victims. Their pain never goes away. I stand in solidarity with them,” said Arya.

Do you know about the attack?

The incident took place on June 23, 1985 and can easily be called one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in world history.

All aboard airplane Kanishka, 329 passengers and crew, were killed.

Since then, this day has become a day of grief and remembrance for the people who lost their loved ones in the incident.

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