India, Ireland & Canada Commemorate 40th Anniv. of Air India Flight 182 Bombing

NEW DELHI: In a historic move, India, Ireland, and Canada jointly marked the 40th anniversary of the bombing of Air India flight 182, also known as Kanishka, with solemn commemorative events held in Cork, Ireland, and New Delhi.

- MPOST BUREAU

The tragedy, which occurred on June 23, 1985, claimed the lives of all 329 people on board and remains the deadliest aviation-related act of terrorism prior to the 9/11 attacks in the United States.

In Cork, a memorial service took place at the monument overlooking the Atlantic Ocean, close to where the aircraft's wreckage was discovered. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri led the Indian delegation and joined Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin, Canada's Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree and the ambassadors of the three nations in honoring the victims.

"This was an unspeakable act of terrorism," said Puri during his address at the ceremony. He urged countries to strengthen international cooperation in countering radicalism and violence. "We must ensure that what happened on June 23, 1985, is never repeated—not in India, not in Canada, not anywhere else in the world."

Puri called for deeper collaboration with Canada in tackling extremism, noting, "When individuals who glorify violence are allowed space, they pose a danger not just to specific communities but to the very fabric of democratic societies." He said that India's security agencies are ready to work closely with global partners to address these ongoing threats.