Almost two decades ago two public inquiries determined that Khalistani terrorists in Canada orchestrated the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182. Now, Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal has come forward to sponsor a petition pushing the Government of Canada to conduct a “fresh inquiry” into the bombing. The petition sponsored by Dhaliwal promotes controversial and debunked theories that falsely claimed Indian government agents were behind the bombing. The theory has been dismissed by multiple investigations, yet, it has sprung again scratching the wounds of the victims.
The bombing occurred on 23rd June 1985 killing 329 people. The plane had exploded over the Atlantic Ocean Most of them were Canadians. A second bomb was planted intended for another Air India flight. However, it prematurely exploded resulting in the death of two baggage handlers at Narita Airport in Japan. Both incidents were described by Canadian authorities as an act of terror orchestrated by a Canadian citizen and Khalistani terrorist Talwinder Singh Parmar.
Despite the findings of the previous inquiries, the new petition, which has been initiated by journalist Gurpreet Singh with the help of the office of MP Dhaliwal, has called for a new investigation. The petition has claimed that the agents of the Indian government might have orchestrated the bombing. The theory was thrown under the rug during investigations as there was no supporting evidence for it. However, when in September 2023, Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau, accused Indian agents of being involved in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil in Surrey BC, the old conspiracy theory resurfaced.
MP Sukh Dhaliwal under fire for sponsoring petition
Sukh Dhaliwal has been a long-time Liberal MP from Surrey-Newton. He acknowledged that he had sponsored the petition on 13th August on behalf of the members from his constituency. He, however, refused to express his personal opinion on the matter. He said, “This is their viewpoint, right? It’s a public viewpoint. All I’m doing is taking it forward.” He also refused to comment on if he agreed with the conclusion that Khalistani terrorist Parmar was behind the attack and not the Indian government agents.
When asked if the endorsement implies his support for the petition, he pointed out that as per Canadian parliamentary rules, MPs are allowed to sponsor petitions. Still, they are not required to endorse them. He said, “There is no obligation on the part of the House of Commons or any Member of Parliament.”
The petition requires at least signatures from 500 individuals within four months to be submitted to the Parliament. It will obligate the government to issue a response within 45 days. So far no comments have come from either Prime Minister’s office or Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc’s office on the matter.
Renewed tensions over old wounds
The 1985 bombing was the deadliest terrorist attack involving an aircraft before 9/11. The first inquiry into the matter was led by former Supreme Court Judge, Justice John Major. In 2010, the investigation concluded that Talwinder Singh Parmar was the key person who orchestrated the twin bombing. The second inquiry into the matter was conducted by former Ontario NDP premier Bob Rae in 2005. The inquiry suggested that the attack was a “cascading series of errors” by Canadian authorities, including the RCMP and CSIS. It concluded that Parmar was the mastermind of the attack.
In both inquiries, it was mentioned that the Government of India had sent multiple warnings to Canadian security agencies that Khalistani terrorists sitting in Canada were planning to target Air India flights as part of a broader campaign of terror. When Rae was asked about the latest petition sponsored by Dhaliwal, he said, “My report speaks for itself,” and declined to comment further on the matter.
The possibility of Indian agents behind the attack was dismissed by both CSIS and RCMP after a thorough investigation. They found no credible evidence to support the claims. However, pro-Khalistani members of the Sikh community have continued to assert that it was India that orchestrated the attack and not the local Sikhs.
Divided community and continued criticism
Notably, the Khalistani organisation World Sikh Organization has supported the calls for a new inquiry. In a statement, WSO said, “We believe that a full and transparent investigation into the possible role of the Indian government in the events leading up to the Air India bombing is necessary to ascertain the truth.”
On the other hand, victims’ families have condemned the call for another inquiry. Deepak Khandelwal lost his two sisters, 21-year-old Chandra and 19-year-old Manju in the attack. He said, “It’s so hurtful. It drives us crazy. Polling last year showed that 90 per cent of Canadians have little or no recognition of the Air India bombing. People are trying to fill that void and rewrite history. The government, by allowing this type of rhetoric to continue, is allowing people to promote hatred; they are asking for another terror attack.”
Bal Gupta lost his life Rama in the bombing. He condemned the demand focused on debunked theory and said, “It is 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.”
The families of the victims have called for respect for the findings of the past inquiries and urged the government of Canada to dismiss conspiracy theories as baseless and divisive.
