On Kanishka bombing anniversary, India's Puri calls for end to terror financing

INDIAN minister Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday (23) called for ending funding channels to terrorists and separatists and urged collective action to counter global terrorism, as he paid tribute to the victims of the Air India Flight 182 Kanishka bombing on its 40th anniversary.

The Montreal–London–New Delhi Air India ‘Kanishka’ Flight 182 exploded mid-air on June 23, 1985, killing all 329 people on board. The flight was 45 minutes away from landing at London’s Heathrow Airport. Most of those killed were Canadians of Indian origin.

Commemoration held at Ahakista Memorial

Puri, who is the Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas, attended the memorial event at the Ahakista Memorial in County Cork, Ireland. He was joined by Irish prime minister Micheál Martin and Canada’s Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree. County Cork is about 260 kilometres from Dublin.

“On behalf of the people and Government of India, a 7-member delegation led by Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas @HardeepSPuri paid tributes to the victims at the Ahakista Memorial in County Cork, Ireland,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal in a post on X.

‘Need to be united against terrorism’

In his speech, Puri thanked the “wonderful community of Ahakista and the people of Ireland,” saying they had responded with compassion when the tragedy occurred 40 years ago.

“This memorial stands testimony to the tragedy of that crash on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean not far from here,” Puri said.

He added, “Irrespective of the differences in ideologies and political differences, we need to be vigilant about terrorism and united in combating the menace.”

Calling for an end to terrorism financing, Puri said in another post on X, “We need to double our efforts to ensure that what happened on June 23, 1985 is not repeated anywhere in the world in future.”

329 lives lost in mid-air explosion

Irish prime minister Micheál Martin wrote on X, “It was a privilege to attend the commemoration to mark 40 years since the Air India disaster in West Cork. 329 innocent people lost their lives over the skies of Ireland that morning, and the passing of time does not dim the scale of loss and of this atrocity.”

According to The Air India Flight 182 Archive, maintained by McMaster University, the Ahakista Memorial was unveiled on June 23, 1986, during the first anniversary of the bombing. The site includes a garden, a sundial, and a curved stone wall bearing the names of all those who died.

Relatives of victims attend memorial

Every year, families of the passengers and crew gather at various memorials dedicated to the victims.

According to Irish public broadcaster RTÉ, about 60 relatives of the victims attended the annual ceremony in Ahakista, which is the closest point on land to the crash site.

“The ceremony at the memorial monument began with a minute’s silence at 8.13 am, the exact time the explosion occurred on Air India Flight 182. It was followed by tributes from the families and Hindu and Christian readings,” RTÉ reported.

(With inputs from PTI)