Canadian MP Sponsors Petition To Reopen 1985 Air India Bombing Case, To Probe Discredited Theory

A Liberal Member of Parliament in Canada, Sukh Dhaliwal, has sponsored a petition seeking a fresh inquiry into the 1985 Air India bombing which killed 339 people mostly Canadians.

The development has come nearly two decades after a second public inquiry found that Canada-based Sikh extremists had carried out the attack.

In the first inquiry also, it was found out that Sikh extremists were behind the bombings.

However, the effort to reopen the case has brought criticism from the families of those who were killed in the bombings.

According to The Globe And Mail, Bal Gupta, whose wife Rama was killed in the incident said that its deeply frustrating. It opens up old wounds all over again. It’s all garbage and an attempt to gain publicity and support for terrorist activities.

Speaking on the move, Dhaliwal said that he sponsored the petition on behalf of the members of the Surrey-Newton constituency adding he would not say whether he agreed with the petition’s efforts to reopen the matter.

“This is their viewpoint, right,” Mr. Dhaliwal said. “It’s a public viewpoint. All I’m doing is taking it forward.

What happened in 1985 Air India bombings?

On June 23, 1985, an Air India flight 182, which took off from Montreal, exploded over the Atlantic Ocean, killing over 300 people, most of them were Canadians.

On that day, a second blast took place in a suitcase which exploded prematurely while transiting through Narita Airport, which killed two Japanese baggage handlers.