Ottawa: Indian-origin Canadian Member of Parliament Chandra Arya on Thursday said that the ideology responsible for the 1985 Air India bombing is still alive in the country, NDTV reported.
Citing terrorist act which claimed lives of 329 people, Chandra Arya told the parliament the celebration of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination by "Khalistani supporters" points out that "dark forces have been energised again".
Chandra Arya’s remarks gathers importance against the backdrop of tension between India and Canada following the murder of a Khalistani terrorist.
Highlighting the concerns of Hindu Canadians, he said: "Mr Speaker, June 23rd is the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism. 39 years back, on this day, Air India Flight 182 was blown up mid-day by a bomb planted by Canadian Khalistani extremists. It killed all 329 passengers and crew members and is the largest mass killing in Canadian history."
"Unfortunately, many Canadians are not aware that even today. The ideology responsible for this terrorist attack is still alive among few people in Canada. The recent celebration of the assassination of Hindu Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by Khalistan supporters, glorifying violence and hate, shows that the dark forces have been energised again and point to dreadful times ahead. Hindu Canadians are rightfully concerned. I stand in solidarity with the families of the victims of Air India bombing," he was quoted as saying.
The Canadian PM made the remarks ahead of the 39th anniversary of the bombing of the Air India 182 flight on June 23, 1985.
Kanishka flight, flying on the Montreal-London-Delhi route, exploded mid-air over the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Ireland.
Indian High Commission in Ottawa in a press release in 2023 called the act a "cowardly act of terror, carried out by Canada-based Khalistani terrorists."
Meanwhile, the Consulate General of India, Toronto on Wednesday said that a memorial service for the victims of the 1985 tragedy would be held on June 23 at South Lawns, Queen's Park.