Fearing history forgotten, B.C. groups call for learning centre to honour Air India bombing victims

CBC News

· Posted: Jun 23, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 5 hours ago

A conjugation of B.C.-based religion groups and assemblage members are calling connected the state to physique a ample memorial and acquisition centre to honour the victims of the 1985 Air India bombing, considered the worst violent onslaught successful Canada's history.

The campaign, launched up of the June 23 anniversary, is urging Premier David Eby to perpetrate to a abstraction that would admit the calamity and assistance aboriginal generations recognize its impact.

Majar Sidhu, who mislaid his sister, a nephew and a niece in the violent attack, says helium worries the past is being forgotten.

"People similar maine successful our 50s and 60s know," helium said successful a Punjabi-language interview. "But radical nether 40 don't."

Sidhu, a Vancouver resident, says the bombing is often perceived arsenic a calamity affecting the Indian community, even though the bulk of radical connected committee the formation were Canadians. 

"To this time it's known arsenic Air India calamity — but it's portion of Canadian history," Sidhu said.

On June 23, 1985, a weaponry exploded successful the clasp of Air India Flight 182, sidesplitting 329 people. Among the dormant were 280 Canadians and 86 children, with the formation en way to India aft stops successful Toronto and Montreal.

For Sidhu, a provincial learning centre would beryllium a meaningful commencement and a measurement toward nationalist recognition that will make much empathy and knowing for Canadians. 

Multiple religion groups articulation calls

"For my kids, who are increasing up and going to schoolhouse present successful B.C., they person not heard astir this," said Surrey nonmigratory Vijoy Chakraborty. "They request to know."

Chakraborty, an occupational therapist who immigrated from India, says his ain knowing of the calamity began during a sojourn to the Air India memorial adjacent Cork, Ireland, astir 2 decades ago.

That's wherever the wreckage of Flight 182 fell into the Atlantic Ocean aft the weaponry exploded connected board.

"I was perfectly spellbound erstwhile I reached there," Chakraborty said of the memorial successful Cork. "The section radical had kept that memorial successful specified a pristine way, with warmth and respect."

Chakraborty says B.C. has a work to support a ample memorial of its own, fixed the province's heavy ties to the bombing. 

Investigations recovered that the weaponry that brought down the formation was made successful the province, and the lone idiosyncratic ever convicted successful the case, Inderjit Singh Reyat, lived in Duncan, B.C.

"There is simply a batch of onus connected B.C. to make thing that volition amended people, our kids, our aboriginal generations," helium said.

Other organizations, including section Hindu and Sikh groups, are supporting the campaign. The Khalsa Diwan Society has written to the premier calling for the instauration of a provincial learning centre.

"We consciousness that they are adjacent procreation has and should person an accusation centre wherever they tin larn astir the the tragedy," said Jagdeep Sanghera, caput of the Sikh charitable society.

Yogesh Bhatia, a unpaid with Vedic Sevaks, echoed that sentiment.

"Those who were killed, their families inactive merit something," helium said. "That's wherefore we are asking [for this] truthful that our aboriginal generations cognize that unit of immoderate benignant tin make a monolithic ripple effect successful the society."

WATCH | Anatomy of the Air India bombing: 

In a connection to CBC News, the state said it would enactment with communities and organizations impacted by this calamity "to amended recognize however we tin proceed to enactment to amended aboriginal generations."

"It is important to admit this tragic portion of our past and larn from it truthful tragedies similar this are ne'er repeated," the connection reads.

A caller canvass by the Angus Reid Institute recovered that 17 per cent of Canadians place the Air India bombing arsenic the worst panic onslaught successful the country's history. Just 1 successful 10 said they cognize a batch astir it, portion one-third had ne'er adjacent heard of it. More than fractional said Canada has ne'er genuinely treated the calamity arsenic a nationalist one.

According to the survey, 66 per cent of Canadians enactment adding the Air India calamity to schoolhouse curricula, and 71 per cent would enactment an grounds astatine the Canadian Museum of History.

Investigation ongoing

Only 1 idiosyncratic was convicted successful the bombing case: B.C. man Reyat, who served a full of 30 years successful situation for a operation of manslaughter, perjury and his relation successful constructing the bombs, earlier his merchandise successful January 2016.

Two others, Ajaib Singh Bagri and Ripudaman Singh Malik, were acquitted of execution and conspiracy charges. 

A Canadian enquiry committee identified Talwinder Singh Parmar, a B.C. antheral linked to the Sikh separatist Khalistan movement, arsenic the mastermind down the attack. Parmar was killed, allegedly successful a gunfight, by Indian constabulary successful 1992. Malik was changeable dormant successful Surrey, B.C., successful July 2022.

RCMP proceed to analyse the bombings, according to Sgt. Vanessa Munn.

"Should caller accusation oregon antithetic information, that we person not received successful 40 years emerge, we volition analyse it to uncover the truth," she said.