Kin of Kanishka bombing victims turn away pro-Khalistan groups from prayer meet
Kin of Kanishka bombing victims turn away pro-Khalistan groups from prayer meet
Family members of the victims of the 1985 Kanishka bombing, which had killed over 300 passengers and crew on board the aircraft, turned away members of pro-Khalistan group ‘Sikhs for Justice’ from a prayer meet held in Canada on June 23 to mark the 39th anniversary of the incident, News18 reported.
Thirty-nine years ago, the Montreal-New Delhi Air India ‘Kanishka’ Flight 182, was blown up mid-air by a bomb planted by Canadian Khalistani terrorists. It was believed to be carried out in retaliation to the Indian Army’s ‘Operation Bluestar’ launched in 1984, at then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s behest, to flush out Khalistani terrorists from the Golden Temple.
At the prayer meeting held in Canada on June 23, Sunday, in remembrance of the victims of the Kanishka Bombings, of which 86 were reportedly children, members of ‘Sikh for Justice’ and other pro-Khalistan groups were told to leave. Several of those who were shown the door were wearing T-shirts sporting pictures of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The sympathisers and supporters of the Khalistan movement who went to attend the memorial service were reportedly told that no Sikh favours the formation of a separate nation of Khalistan.
According to the News18 report, the kin of the victims were also disappointed by the fact that the Canadian government did not send any representative to the event to mark the 39th anniversary of the macabre incident.
They also opposed the moment of silence that was observed in the Canadian parliament last week to mark one year of the death of NIA-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on their soil.
“This is open reflection of the Canadian Sikh community. They are overpowered by politicians and political will, and made to show the world that they want Khalistan. No Canadian Sikh wants Khalistan. They feel Western countries are doing this because they don’t want India to compete with them,” News18 quoted a source in the Indian High Commission as saying.