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Covid-19: 35th anniversary of Kanishka bombing marked with virtual vigil in Canada
June 23 is recognised as the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism in Canada. 329 passengers were killed in the 1985 Kanishka bombing, 280 of them were Canadian citizens.
The 35th anniversary of the bombing by Khalistani terrorists of Air India flight 182 was marked by family members of the victims with a virtual vigil since gatherings at memorial sites in Canada are barred due to Covid-19-related restrictions.
The plane named Emperor Kanishka exploded mid-air on June 23, 1985, killing 329 passengers.
The terrorist incident is the worst in Canadian history. It was also the worst episode of aviation-related terrorism till 9/11.
Among those who commemorated the day was Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. In a message, he said, “Thirty-five years ago today, an explosion on Air India Flight 182, bound for the United Kingdom from Canada, killed the 329 innocent people on board, including 280 Canadians. The attack was an act of unspeakable malice and remains the deadliest terrorist attack in Canadian history. It was a shock to our country, and a threat to our collective sense of security.”
June 23 is recognised as the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism in Canada.
Trudeau’s message was among those posted on a special YouTube channel created by family members to honour their departed kin. Very few were able to visit any of the four memorials to the tragedy in Canada - in Toronto, Vancouver, Ottawa and Montreal. But many family members posted their memorial messages on the channel which became the venue for a virtual gathering for the mourners.
“It’s difficult for us as no large gathering are allowed,” Bal Gupta, chair of the Air India 182 Victims Families Association, said. “But we have to obey the rules,” he added. The memorials, particularly the one at Humber Bay in Toronto, often attract over a 100 visitors on the anniversary. As that was not possible this year, the Association informed its members they could mark the day by posting video messages.
Many family members did visit the memorials, though none did so as part of a group because of the restrictions.
India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa Ajay Bisaria paid his respects at the memorial in Canada’s capital, and sent a message to the family members that this “was a Canadian tragedy, an Indian tragedy, a global tragedy.” His Irish counterpart Jim Kelly was another visitor. Debris from the bombed aircraft had washed up along the shores of Ireland and it also hosts a memorial to the victims.
Brenda Lucki, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner, also sent a message to the family members in which she stressed the investigation into the act of terrorism is still on, saying the law enforcement agency “continues its effort to seek justice, to this day”.
Others who paid their respects were the Premiers of Ontario and British Columbia, Doug Ford and John Horgan, the Mayors of Toronto and Ottawa, and India’s Consul General in Toronto Apoorva Srivastava.
