A prominent Indian-origin Canadian MP has criticized a petition seeking a fresh probe to determine the involvement of any “foreign intelligence” in the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182, alleging That it promotes “conspiracy theories” of Khalistani extremists.
Montreal-New Delhi Air India ‘Kanishka’ Flight 182 exploded 45 minutes before landing at London’s Heathrow Airport on 23 June 1985, killing all 329 people on board, most of whom were Canadians of Indian origin. Were.
The bombing was blamed on Sikh extremists in response to ‘Operation Bluestar’ to flush out terrorists from the Golden Temple in 1984.
Addressing Parliament on Thursday, Chandra Arya, Member of Parliament from Nepean in the House of Commons, said two public inquiries in Canada found Khalistani extremists responsible for the bombing of the Air India flight.
Calling the bombing “the largest mass murder” in Canadian history, Mr. Arya said, “Even today, the ideology responsible for this terrorist attack lives on among some people in Canada.”
He said, “Two public inquiries in Canada found Khalistan extremists responsible for the bombing of the Air India plane. Now there is a petition on the Parliament portal demanding a new investigation into the conspiracy theories promoted by Khalistan extremists Is.”
Quoting Bal Gupta, whose wife was killed in the attack, Mr Arya said, “This is extremely disappointing. It reopens old wounds. It is all nonsense. It is propaganda and propaganda for terrorist activities.” “It’s an effort to garner support.”
The petition demands the Canadian government to order a fresh investigation into the Kanishka bomb blast to find out whether any “foreign intelligence was involved”.
Last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had alleged the “possible” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
New Delhi dismissed Mr Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd”.
India has been saying that the main issue between the two countries is Canada’s exemption of pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil.
Nijjar, declared a terrorist by India, was shot dead outside a gurudwara in British Columbia on June 18 last year. The murder is being investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
