Ottawa: Two Indian-Canadian groups, including a renowned gurdwara in Vancouver, urged the Canadian government to set up a memorial and an information centre in remembrance of the victims of the 1985 Air India bombing. The demand came weeks ahead of the 40th anniversary of the tragedy, on June 23. They said the families of the Kanishka victims "deserve more than silence".
Khalsa Diwan Society (KDS) and North American Hindu Association (NAHA) wrote a letter to David Eby, Premier of British Columbia, and sought a memorial wall, a reflection garden, a public learning centre, and educational programmes for remembrance of the lives lost in the terror attack.
In the letter addressed to Eby, the KDS said the family members of the victims "deserve more than silence" and "deserve a place of honour, reflection and remembrance". "United by grief, memory, and an unwavering commitment to justice and education, we respectfully urge your government to honour the voices of thousands who have signed our petition by establishing the Kanishka Memorial and Learning Centre in British Columbia by June 23, 2025," the KDS wrote. The NAHA also urged the government for the same.
The bombing, also known as the Kanishka tragedy, was the largest mass killing in Canadian history, in which over 300 people, mostly Canadians, were killed in a midair blast. Air India flight 182 was en route from Montreal to Mumbai when it was attacked by Khalistani separatists on June 23, 1985.
