Indian-Origin Canadian MP Chandra Arya Condemns Fresh Inquiry into Air India Flight 182 Bombing

Indian-origin Canadian MP Chandra Arya condemned calls for a fresh investigation into the 1985 Air India Flight 182 bombing, labeling them as conspiracy theories pushed by Khalistani extremists. Speaking in the Canadian Parliament, Arya emphasized that two previous inquiries had already concluded that Khalistani extremists were responsible for the attack, which killed 329 people, including 268 Canadians.

The Air India “Kanishka” flight, en route from Montreal to Bombay, was bombed mid-air on June 23, 1985, marking Canada’s worst mass killing. Arya highlighted that the extremist ideology behind the attack persists among some individuals in Canada today.

Criticizing the demand for a new inquiry, Arya noted a petition circulating on the Canadian parliament’s portal promoting these theories. He also cited Bal Gupta, whose wife perished in the bombing, expressing frustration over reopening old wounds for publicity. Earlier this year, a tribute to the victims in Toronto was reportedly disrupted by Khalistani sympathizers.