39th anniversary of Kanishka bombing: India says it stands at the forefront of countering terrorism
The Hindu
India leads global fight against terrorism, commemorates Air India Kanishka bombing, urges solidarity against terrorism at memorial service.
India stands at the forefront of countering the menace of terrorism and works closely with all nations to tackle this global threat, India’s Consulate General in Vancouver has said as it reminded the world of the Kanishka bombing, the most heinous terror-related air disasters in the history of civil aviation.
The Montreal-New Delhi Air India ‘Kanishka’ Flight 182 exploded 45 minutes before it was to have landed at London’s Heathrow Airport on June 23, 1985, killing all 329 people on board, most of them Canadians of Indian descent.
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The bombing was blamed on Sikh militants in retaliation to ‘Operation Bluestar’ to flush out militants from the Golden Temple in 1984.
The Consulate General of India has planned a memorial service to mark the anniversary of the bombing.
“India stands at the forefront of countering the menace of terrorism and works closely with all nations to tackle this global threat,” the Consulate General of India in Vancouver posted on X on June 18.
“23 June 2024 marks the 39th Anniversary of the cowardly terrorist bombing of Air India flight 182 [Kanishka], in which 329 innocent victims, including 86 children, lost their lives in one of the most heinous terror-related air disasters in the history of civil aviation,” it said.