Terror Ideology Behind 1985 Air India Flight Attack Still Alive: Canadian MP

Chandra Arya said that many Canadians are not aware that the ideology responsible for this terrorist attack is still alive among a few people in Canada.

New Delhi: Indian-origin Canadian Member of Parliament Chandra Arya recalled the Kanishka flight bombing and asserted that the ideology responsible for the terrorist attack is still alive among a few people in Canada.

Speaking in the Canadian Parliament, Chandra Arya emphasized that June 23rd is the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism. 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."

Arya added that 329 passengers and crew members were killed which is the largest mass killing in Canadian history. 

While speaking in the Canadian Parliament on Thursday, Arya said that many Canadians are not aware that the ideology responsible for this terrorist attack is still alive among a 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 energized 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 said, ANI Reported.

His remarks come ahead of the 39th anniversary of the bombing of Air India Flight 182, scheduled for June 22, 2024.

In 1985 on June 23, the Air India 182 Kanishka flight, en route from Montreal, Canada to London, UK and Delhi, India, exploded mid-air over the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of Ireland. It was described as a "cowardly act of terror perpetrated by Khalistani terrorists based in Canada," according to a press release from the Indian High Commission in Ottawa in 2023.