By Prabhjot Singh
OTTAWA (TIP): Spearheaded by Sukh Dhaliwal, Liberal MP from British Columbia, leaders of various Sikh organizations have petitioned the Canadian House of Commons demanding a fresh inquiry into one of the worst air tragedies in history.
Reacting to the petition sent to the House of Commons, Chandra Arya, also a Liberal MP (from Ontario), made a statement in the House saying “Now, there is a petition on the Parliament portal asking for a new inquiry and promoting conspiracy theories promoted by Khalistan extremists.”
There was no official word on the petition from the House of Commons or the Government of Canada.
Though the petition has been made to the House of Commons, its copies, urging Canadians to sign it, have been pasted at gurdwaras throughout Canada and several other important public places.
Signed among others by Manveer Singh, H S Hansra, Amarjit S Mann, Bhupinder S Dhillon, Sukhdev Singh and Manjit Singh Mann, the petition reads: “The Air India bombings of June 23, 1985, that left 331 people dead was the worst tragedy in the history of aviation terror before 9/11. The victims’ families continue to wait for justice and closure. The Sikhs in Canada widely believe that this was the handiwork of foreign intelligence to discredit their political activism and undermine their advocacy work for human rights in India.
“The recent developments within the Sikh community in British Columbia give credence to this perception. The Canadian government is looking into growing foreign interference in its political affairs.
“The Sikhs are living under fear since the murder of Surrey Delta Gurdwara President Hardeep Singh Nijjer in June 2023; and on September 18, 2023, the Prime Minister of Canada stated that there are credible allegations of a link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjer,” the petition said while calling upon the Government of Canada to order a fresh inquiry into the Air India episode to determine whether any foreign intelligence was involved in the crime.
“Mr. Speaker, 39 years back, Air India Flight 182 was blown up mid-air by a bomb planted by Canadian Khalistan extremists. It killed 329 people, and this is the largest mass killing in Canadian history, said Mr Chandra Arya in the House of Commons.
“Even today, the ideology responsible for this terrorist attack is still alive among a few people in Canada. Two Canadian public inquiries have found Khalistan extremists responsible for the bombing of the Air India flight. Now, there is a petition on the Parliament portal asking for a new inquiry and promoting conspiracy theories promoted by Khalistan extremists.
“Mr Bal Gupta, whose wife Rama was killed in this attack, told The Globe and Mail, “It’s deeply frustrating. It opens up old wounds all over again. It’s all garbage. It’s an attempt to gain publicity and support for terrorist activities,” Chandra Arya concluded.