A tragic incident unfolded in June 1985 when an Air India flight en route from Toronto to London, continuing to Bombay was sabotaged by Khalistani extremists which claimed the lives of all 329 passengers. As India and Canada are engaged in a diplomatic row regarding the presence of Khalistani extremism in Canada, we take this moment to remember the gruesome attack of terrorism whose impacts can still be felt and remembered.The Air India Boeing 747, named after the Kushan dynasty emperor Kanishka, took off from Toronto for a journey that was scheduled to include stops at Montreals Mirabel airport, Londons Heathrow, Delhis Palam and Bombays Sahar. After taking off from Montreal, the flight flight number 182 exploded off the coast of Ireland killing all 329 passengers and 22 crew members on June 23, 1985.Air-India Flight 182: Kanshika BombingThe fateful day of June 23, 1985, saw the extent of Khalistani extremism when a bomb exploded on Air India Flight 182 en route from Toronto to London, England killing all 329 people aboard, most of them Canadians. It was an unthinkable act of mass murder and to this day, the Air India bombing is still the worst terrorist attack in Canadian history. It was also regarded as the deadliest act of aviation terrorism before 9/11.Flight Number 182 was en route to en route from Toronto to London, continuing to Bombay (now Mumbai). The flight made a routine stop at Montreal airport and established its connection with the Shannon Air Traffic Control Center, but five minutes later, vanished off the radar screen.According to reports, the jet disintegrated midair just 45 minutes from its destination without any warning or emergency calls. Heathrow staff dispatched emergency rescue crews, but no survivors were found. Only 131 bodies were retrieved from the sea.Cause behind this bombingThe cause of the bombing was not known initially. However, upon investigation, they found that a bomb was placed in the cargo, sent via Vancouver, which exploded mid-air claiming the lives of all present inside. The culprit behind the bombing has been mainly attributed to the terrorist outfit Babbar Khalsa, while the Canadian Commission of Inquiry also mentioned the International Sikh Youth Federation.The Canadian police believed that one of the suspects, Talwinder Singh Parmar, had masterminded the attack, but charges against him were ultimately dropped. The other suspect arrested at that time, Inderjit Singh Reyat, was a Sikh residing in Vancouver. He eventually pleaded guilty to manslaughter in connection with the bombing and was sentenced to five years in prison in 2003.Khalistani history with IndiaThe Sikh and Hindu communities in India were going through a tumultuous relationship during the 1980s as the Sikh extremists were demanding an independent state in India. Then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi also ordered Operation Blue Star in 1984 amidst heightened Sikh extremism in Punjab.The operations saw casualties from all sides as it resulted in a violent confrontation between the Indian Army and Sikh Militants which significantly damaged the Golden Temple, a sacred sikh shrine. There was political and social unrest in the country and also changed the cultural landscape of India.Due to the fallout of this operation, then-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated in retaliation on October 31, 1984, by two of her own bodyguards who belonged to the Sikh community.The Khalistani sentiment has always been maintained even after the movement cooled down over time and this sentiment was felt across borders in Canada as well. A section of Sikhs still celebrate the assassination of the former Prime Minister to this day, as a mark of victory of for Khalistan.
