PM pays homage to victims of Kanishka bombing

Prime minister Manmohan Singh today visited the Air India Memorial here to pay respects to the 329 victims of the 1985 Kanishka bombing and assured their families that the "entire Indian nation shares your sense of loss and grief".

Singh, who concluded his two-day tour here to attend the G-20 Summit, met the families of the victims, hours after he underlined the need for "full justice" to those affected by the tragedy, which was Canada's worst terrorist attack.

Prime minister told the families of the victims that the "entire Indian nation shares your sense of loss and grief".

The families told Singh that "your presence here is like a soothing balm and is providing a healing touch".

He had said earlier on the sidelines of his meeting with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper that the suffering of the families of the victims will forever remain a stark reminder of the need to eliminate the scourge of terrorism.

"My visit to Canada coincides with the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Kanishka air crash. This terrible disaster and the suffering it has led to will forever remain a stark reminder of the need for all of us to work unitedly to eliminate this scourge of terrorism," Singh said.

"The victims of this ghastly tragedy deserve full justice," he underlined.

Air India Kanishka Flight 182 plunged into the Atlantic on June 23, 1985 after an explosion in the aircraft, killing all 329 people on board.

A probe led by retired Supreme Court Justice John Major last week blamed the Canadian police and intelligence for laxity in not detecting the bombs planted on the flight by pro-Khalistan elements.

A suitcase bomb destroyed Air India Flight 182 off Ireland’s Atlantic coast while the aircraft was en route from Canada to India via London.

Many of the victims were Canadian citizens of Indian origin returning to India to visit relatives.

Singh also met all MPs and provincial lawmakers of Indian origin in Canada and ascertained their views about the challenges faced by the community.

"The meeting was organised on his initiative. Singh's initiative assumes significance in the light of India's concerns to the Canadian government about the activities of anti-India elements," sources said.

"The meeting was organised as the prime minister wants to meet and know the Indian-origin representatives in Canada. This is purely the prime minister's idea. He wants to have a face-to-face meeting these MPs and MLAs," sources said.

There are nine MPs of Indian origin in the Canadian parliament.

Apart from these MPs, there are also six Indo-Canadian MLAs in British Columbia province, five in Alberta province, four in Ontario province and one in Manitoba province.