Canadian Member of Parliament Chandra Arya highlighted the threat posed by Sikh Separatism, focusing on the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182, one of the deadliest terrorist attacks in Canadian history. The attack, orchestrated by Khalistani extremists, killed 329 people, including 268 Canadian citizens, and remains a painful chapter in the country’s history.
Arya’s address comes at a time when pro-Khalistani movements have reignited tensions both within Canada and in India, especially following recent violent incidents and the murder of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia, last year. Arya’s remarks in Parliament aimed to remind Canadians of the roots of this extremist ideology and its consequences, while condemning ongoing efforts to revive conspiracy theories that downplay the responsibility of those behind the Air India bombing.
Air India Flight 182, flying from Montreal to Delhi, was blown-up mid-air on June 23, 1985, by a bomb planted by Canadian-based Sikh separatists. The explosion, which took place off the coast of Ireland, killed all 329 passengers aboard, making it the worst mass murder in Canadian history. Two Canadian public inquiries unequivocally established that Sikh Separatism was responsible for the attack, with investigations pointing to various flaws in the handling of the case by Canadian authorities at the time.
Arya expressed in his statement that the same extremist ideology behind this act of terror still exists in certain sections of Canadian society. Arya said, ‘Thirty-nine years after this tragic bombing, the ideology responsible for the attack is still alive among a few people in Canada’.
Arya’s speech came in response to a petition recently launched on the Canadian parliamentary portal that calls for a new inquiry into the bombing, promoting conspiracy theories that suggest alternative causes for the attack. Many have criticized the petition as an attempt to shift blame away from the perpetrators and reframe the narrative in favor of pro-Sikh Separatist elements.
One of the most vocal critics of the petition is Mr. Bal Gupta, who lost his wide, Rama, in the bombing. Speaking to The Globe and Mail, Gupta condemned the petition as deeply hurtful. He said, ‘It’s deeply frustrating. It opens up old wounds all over again. It’s all garbage. It’s an attempt to gain publicity and support for terrorist activities’.
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