AI Generated Summary
- In light of this, Gunjeet Singh Bakhshi, the National General Secretary of Sikh Brotherhood International, has urged the Indian government to construct a memorial and a learning center to keep the memory of the Kanishka bombing alive, where the relatives of the victims can honor them and remember the tragedy.
- This should be a wake-up call for Sikhs around the world — that the real goal of Khalistani supporters is not a better future for Sikhs but to create a climate of terror in India at the behest of Pakistan.
- On one hand, they demand a separate nation for the Sikh community, and on the other hand, they commit atrocities against Sikhs themselves — as the majority of the victims in the Kanishka air disaster were Sikhs.
The day of June 23, 1985, is one that few can forget — when Khalistani extremists bombed an Air India aircraft mid-air, killing 329 passengers, including 82 innocent children. Around the same time, another bomb exploded at Tokyo’s Narita Airport, which was intended for another Air India flight, AI-301. That bomb exploded before it could be loaded onto the plane, resulting in the deaths of two Japanese baggage handlers.
In memory of this tragedy, Canada has built four memorials, and another exists in Ireland. Canada has also declared June 23 as the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism. However, despite it being an Air India flight and the majority of victims being Indian citizens, the Indian government has neither built a memorial nor officially acknowledged the attack.
Every year, victims’ families and their friends must undertake the difficult journey to Ireland or Canada to pay tribute to their loved ones and other victims of terrorism. In light of this, Gunjeet Singh Bakhshi, the National General Secretary of Sikh Brotherhood International, has urged the Indian government to construct a memorial and a learning center to keep the memory of the Kanishka bombing alive, where the relatives of the victims can honor them and remember the tragedy.
To this day, it remains unclear what Khalistanis truly want. On one hand, they demand a separate nation for the Sikh community, and on the other hand, they commit atrocities against Sikhs themselves — as the majority of the victims in the Kanishka air disaster were Sikhs. This should be a wake-up call for Sikhs around the world — that the real goal of Khalistani supporters is not a better future for Sikhs but to create a climate of terror in India at the behest of Pakistan.
It has now been 40 years since the incident, yet hardly anyone has paid attention. Sanjay Lazar, who lost his entire family in the attack, has appealed to the Prime Minister of India to build a memorial — preferably in Delhi — and has also launched a signature campaign on social media to support this cause.
