Indian Delegation Attends Anniversary Of Air India ‘Kanishka’ Bombing In Ireland

To commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Air India Flight 182 ‘Kanishka’ bombing, a senior Indian delegation led by Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri attended a solemn memorial service on Monday at the Ahakista Memorial in Cork, Ireland.

The event honoured the 329 lives lost in one of the worst aviation terror attacks in history.

Delegation includes leaders from multiple states

The Indian delegation, however, included BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh and elected representatives from five Indian states.

These included Delhi MLA Arvinder Singh Lovely, Uttar Pradesh Minister Baldev Singh Aulakh, Rajasthan MLA Gurveer Singh Brar, Uttarakhand MLA Trilok Singh Cheema, and Jammu and Kashmir MLA Narinder Singh Raina.

Global leaders join memorial ceremony

Ireland’s PM Micheal Martin, Canadian Minister Gary Anandasangaree, and other dignitaries attended the ceremony, showing global unity against terrorism.

The service took place at the site where the ill-fated flight went down off the Irish coast on June 23, 1985.

The tragedy that shook the world

Air India Flight 182, a Boeing 747 named Kanishka, was en route from Montreal to Mumbai when a bomb exploded in its cargo hold.

The aircraft had departed from Montreal’s Mirabel Airport and was en route to London when it vanished from radar shortly after contacting Shannon Air Traffic Control in Ireland.

The explosion over the Atlantic Ocean killed all 329 people on board, including 22 crew members.

Investigators traced the bomb to luggage originating in Vancouver, pointing to a transnational terrorist plot.

Khalistani extremists blamed for attack

Authorities, however, linked the bombing to the Khalistani extremist group Babbar Khalsa. Inderjit Singh Reyat, a British-Canadian national, admitted in 2003 to helping assemble the explosive device.

Talwinder Singh Parmar, a founding member of Babbar Khalsa, is widely regarded as the mastermind behind the attack.

Jaishankar pays tribute, calls for zero tolerance

Earlier in the day, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar paid tribute to the victims, emphasising the global need to confront terrorism with zero tolerance.

“On the 40th anniversary of Air India 182 ‘Kanishka’ bombing, we honour the memory of the 329 lives lost in one of the worst acts of terrorism. A stark reminder of why the world must show zero tolerance towards terrorism and violent extremism,” he posted on X.

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