Bharat Express

Increase Air India flight security, India requests Canada do so in response to SFJ group threat

This occurs after Gurpatwant Pannun, general counsel for SFJ, issued a Punjabi warning to Sikhs, saying, “Don’t fly Air India after November 19, your lives may be in danger.”

On February 14, 2023, a passenger Air India aircraft is spotted on the tarmac at Mumbai, India's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

On February 14, 2023, a passenger Air India aircraft is spotted on the tarmac at Mumbai, India's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport.

Toronto: India will bring up with Canadian authorities the threat posed to Air India flights to and from Canada by the separatist organization Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and request increased security measures for the carrier.

Sanjay Kumar Verma, India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa, responded to a question from the Hindustan Times by saying, “We shall take up the threat against Air India flights originating from and terminating in Canada, with the concerned Canadian authorities.”

Air India flies directly to New Delhi several times a week from Toronto and Vancouver in Canada.

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“We have reviewed the video’s content, which blatantly violates the Chicago Convention, which establishes guidelines regarding global civil aviation operations. Among many other countries, Canada and India are Members to the Convention.

Verma noted in his answer to source that such concerns are addressed in the international civil aviation protocol between Canada and India.

According to the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the Convention on International Civil Aviation, often known as the Chicago Convention, was drafted in 1944 by 54 states and established “the core principles permitting international transport by air.”

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The attack on Air India is eerily similar to the events that preceded what is still Canada’s deadliest terrorist tragedy. Three-hundred and twenty-nine people were killed when Khalistani terrorists bombed Air India flight 182, the Kanishka, on June 23, 1985. Two baggage handlers perished in an explosion at Tokyo’s Narita airport when another plane’s bomb went off.

In Canada, this day is still observed as the National Day of Remembrance for Terrorist Victims. Nonetheless, extremist organizations still hold Talwinder Singh Parmar in high regard as the attack’s planner. In fact, supporters of Khalistan held a gathering at the Toronto memorial for the victims of the Air India terror incident in June of this year in honor of him.