Indian Consulate General in Vancouver to Organise Memorial Service For 1985 Kanishka Bombing Victims

The Indian Consulate General in Canada’s Vancouver has organised a memorial service for the victims of the 1985 Air India flight 182 (Kanishka) bombing. On June 23, 1985, the Air India flight from Canada to India via London, exploded off the Irish coast, killing all 329 people, including 86 children, on board.

The memorial service in Vancouver has been scheduled for June 23, 2024 at 6:30 PM at the Air India Memorial at Stanley Park’s Ceperley Playground area.

“India stands at the forefront of countering the menace of terrorism and works closely with all nations to tackle this global threat. 23 June 2024 marks the 39th Anniversary of the cowardly terrorist bombing of Air India flight 182 (Kanishka), in which 329 innocent victims, including 86 children, lost their lives in one of the most heinous terror-related air disasters in the history of civil aviation,” the Indian Consulate General posted on X (previously Twitter).

The consulate general has appealed to the members of the Indian diaspora in Vancouver to join the event “in a show of solidarity against terrorism.”

What Happened on June 23, 1985?

The Air India Flight 182 (Kanishka) exploded while on its way from Canada to India after a bomb in a suitcase on the flight went off. The suitcase made its way to the flight even as the ticket holder it belonged to did not board the flight.

The victims on the deadly bombing included 24 Indians while the 268 Canadian victims were also mostly of Indian origin.

What Role Did Justin Trudeau’s Father Play Post The Bombing?

Candian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s father Pierre Elliott Trudeau is known to have started the bitterness in India-Canada ties. He had refused to extradite Talwinder Singh Parmar, who was said to be the mastermind behind the Kanishka bombing.

Sikh terrorist Parmar had fled to Canada after killing two police personnel in Punjab in 1981.

Reports say that warnings about a possible attack on an Air India flight send by India to Canada were also ignored by Trudeau. India’s intelligence agencies had reportedly sent a message to the Canadian authorities on June 1, 1985, seeking security measures against a possible airplane attack by Khalistani terrorists. This was followed by the deadly bombing of June 23, 1985.

Everyone arrested for the Kanishka bombing, including Talwinder Singh Parmar, were let off and only one person, Inderjit Singh Reyat, was given a prison term of 15 years after he was convicted.