A small and solemn gathering Tuesday afternoon on the south lawn of Queen’s Park marked the 41st anniversary of the Air India bombing. The event, hosted by master of ceremonies Deepak Khandelwal, brought together victims' families and dignitaries to remember the 331 people killed in the deadliest aviation terrorism attack outside of 9/11.
“As time goes by, this group of families gets smaller with many people who have passed away and that is one of the reasons why we host these services and remember the people who were murdered,” said Khandelwal, whose two sisters, aged 19 and 21, were killed in the attack.
Largest mass murder in Canadian history
More than four decades later, Air India Flight 182 remains the largest mass murder in Canadian history. Two terrorist bombs ended the lives of 331 people, including 268 Canadian citizens. Only 132 bodies were recovered. A separate bomb blast the same day at Narita Airport in Tokyo killed baggage handlers Hideharu Koda and Hideo Asano.
The Boeing 747 was at 31,000 feet off the southwest coast of Ireland at about 7:13 a.m. Greenwich Mean Time on June 23, 1985, when the bombs ripped through the aircraft. The Irish armed forces and commercial vessels raced to the scene hoping to assist in a rescue that didn’t materialize.
Personal and official remembrance
“It is a daily thing,” Khandelwal said when asked about how the tragedy affects him to this day. “It is not something you forget or get over. You do think of them all the time. You don’t get over it, but you learn to deal with it is how I would say it.”
“The sheer scale of the tragedy, a cowardly attack on a civilian aircraft, is almost impossible to contemplate,” said Cahal Sweeney, vice-consul general for Ireland in Toronto. “We will never forget the images and response of the Irish defence forces, the Irish navy and many ordinary people who rushed to the scene wanting to help in any way they could, a response that we desperately hoped would be a rescue, but was tragically a recovery only.”
Ongoing impact and memorials
Currently, the wreckage of the plane is in a warehouse in B.C., what’s left of the plane the property of the Indian government. “Forty-one years may have passed, but time hasn’t erased the pain and loss of the families and the victims,” said Mahaveer Singhvi, the consul general for India in Toronto. “It is our responsibility to remember those who were taken from us so suddenly. On behalf of the government of India, I extend our deepest sympathies to the families who continue to (feel) the profound effect of this tragedy. We stand with you in remembrance and solidarity and in respect.”
The words inscribed on the Air India memorials in both Toronto and Ahakista, Ireland, say: “Time flies and suns rise, shadows fall, let it pass by love reigns forever.” “It is love that brings us together,” Sweeney said. “On behalf of the people and the government of Ireland, the consulate general of Ireland in Toronto, we convey our deepest, saddest condolences and know that forever we keep the memory of your loved ones in our hearts.”
Tuesday was also the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism in Canada, a designation achieved through the advocacy of the Air India families to ensure solidarity with all victims of terror worldwide.
