Friday commemorated the 38th anniversary of the deadliest terrorist attack in Canadian history, the Air India bombings. However, a recent poll has shown that Canadians have limited knowledge about the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism and the tragic event it was established to honor. On June 23, 1985, a bomb exploded on Air India flight 182, causing the deaths of 329 passengers and crew, with 268 of them being Canadian citizens. Another bomb killed two baggage handlers in Japan. These attacks were connected to a terrorist group based in British Columbia, which sought an independent Sikh state in India.
Surprisingly, only 30% of Canadians claim to have heard of the Air India tragedy, according to Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute. Among respondents aged 18 to 34, 60% admitted to never having heard of it, while only 20% correctly identified it as the deadliest attack on Canadian citizens. Kurl expressed concern about the lack of awareness, questioning the education systems in the provinces and what they do or do not teach about such significant events. She emphasized that the Air India bombings occurred just 38 years ago and should not be forgotten or overlooked.
Amber Dean, a professor at McMaster University, co-wrote a book called “Remembering Air India, the Art of Public Remembering,” which explores the public response to the massacre. Dean stated that she was not surprised by the poll results, as the remembrance of the event was initially seen as outside of Canadian responsibility. It took 20 years for public memorials to be built in Canada, while a memorial was established in Ireland near the crash site within a year. Dean attributed this delayed response to a lack of government support and also highlighted the issue of racism. The victims were predominantly South Asian Canadians, raising questions about how the event would have been remembered if the victims had been white.
The public inquiry into the Air India bombings determined that a series of mistakes by police, intelligence officers, and air safety regulators allowed the attack to occur. Talwinder Singh Parmar, a prime suspect, died in 1992, leaving only one conviction in the case. Inderjit Singh Reyat pleaded guilty to manslaughter and served nine years in prison for perjury for his false testimony in the 2003 trial of Ripudamen Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri. Malik and Bagri were eventually acquitted of mass murder and conspiracy charges in 2005.
Memorial events were held in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, and Montreal to commemorate the anniversary of the devastating Air India bombings.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
