New Delhi: The High Commission of India in Ottawa, Canada on Sunday called the 1985 Kanishka bombing the worst tragedy in Canada’s aviation history killing 329 lives aboard an Air India flight.
The press release by the High Commission remembered the tragedy that had taken place on June 23 in 1985 with India’s national carrier Air India’s Flight no. AI 182 Kanishka flying from Montreal (Canada) – London (UK) – Delhi (India) route having ‘exploded by a bomb mid-air over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Ireland as a result of the cowardly act of terror, carried out by Canada based Khalistani terrorists.’
The High Commission emphasized that glorifying terrorism including the bombing of AI-182 is ‘deplorable’ and all peace-loving people countries and people should condemn it, adding that the perpetrators and co-conspirators of the “dastardly act” remained free.
It is also reported the High Commission as saying that ‘such actions are allowed to be routine on many occasions in Canada”.
Of those died in the tragedy in 1985 there were 268 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens, and 24 Indian citizens.
Recalling the Kanishka bombing, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Sunday in a social media post said that terrorism should not be tolerated.
S. Jaishankar’s statement followed the tribute that the Canadian Parliament had given to pro-Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar who was killed in Surrey, British Columbia last year.
India-Canada bilateral relations remain strained after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged India’s involvement in Nijjar’s killing.