Web Desk
TORONTO: A day before the 39th anniversary of the bombing of the Air India Flight 1982 by Sikh separatists, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said on Friday that its investigations into Canada’s biggest aviation terror attack continue.
The Air India Kanishka Flight 182 was blown off mid-air on June 23, 1985, near the Irish coast by a bomb planted by Vancouver-based Khalistani Sikhs, killing all 329 passengers and crew on board Flight 182 from Montreal to New Delhi.
Only one person Inderjit Singh Reyat was jailed for 30 years for his role in making the bombs that killed 331 people – 327 on the Air India flight and two baggage handlers at Japan’s Narita airport. The two main accused, Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri, were acquitted in 2003.
The Air India bombing is marked as the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism in Canada.
In a statement, the RCMP said, “The Air India investigation is the longest and certainly one of the most complex domestic terrorism investigations that the RCMP has undertaken in our history. Our investigative efforts remain active and ongoing.”
Offering its “deepest sympathies, understanding and support to the families of the victims of Air India Flight 182, the RCMP said, “This year marks the 39th anniversary memorial, with the 40th memorial, a significant milestone, approaching in 2025. At the memorials, previous and current employees from the investigation and our greater organization, past and present will ensure we remember those lost and those left to deal with the unthinkable.
“Over the years, attending the memorials have been an opportunity to pay our respects to the victims and their families, and show our appreciation for all those that did so much to respond to and investigate the tragedy. We must never forget those innocent lives lost to this tragedy and other acts of terrorism.”
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