Air India Kanishka bombing probe to end? Fuming families write to Canada PM

I was orphaned as a teenager, when I lost my entire family...on 23rd June, 1985: Sanjay Lazar, a family member of the Air India Flight 182 Kanishka victims and chairman of the Kanishka Foundation, wrote in his letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. The note came amid fresh controversy that Canada may close the curtains on the investigation into the terrorist attack and potentially place it into "inactive status".

Lazar lost his father, mother and infant sister in the bombing. In his letter, he said he was shocked to learn at a meeting with victims' families on September 12 that there was a move to reduce the size of the Air India bombing investigation task force.

"As the son of my late parents, and the last surviving member of that family, I feel duty bound to express my disgust, hurt and anger at the expressed intention of the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) to wind down the Air India Bombing investigations, and reject it and I shall do everything in my power to ensure that the search for the killers of the 'world's worst aviation bombing AI-182 Kanishka' is not given up by the authorities here or if they feel they are inadequate, then alternately hand over to others who may be more capable," he wrote in the letter.

Lazar also referred to what he described as serious lapses and "strange and highly questionable, dubious actions" during the investigation, including missing evidence and deleted surveillance recordings. He also mentioned that witnesses connected to the case had been killed, threatened or otherwise lost over the years.

Lazar recalled the impact of the bombing on victims' families and said the prospect of the investigation being reduced had brought back painful memories for survivors and relatives who had spent decades seeking answers.

He also referred to the John Major Commission of Inquiry and said victims' families had previously been assured that authorities would pursue the case and seek those responsible.

CALL TO REVIVE USD 1-MILLION REWARD

Lazar's letter also called for the USD1-million reward announced by the Canadian government and RCMP in 1995 for information leading to the perpetrators to be renewed and increased.

He urged the Canadian government to make a fresh appeal for information and suggested that, if the existing investigative team was unable to continue, authorities should consider handing the investigation to others with the necessary expertise.

"Please do not belittle the horrific nature of the Air India tragedy by shutting it down. Canada is duty bound to see the Air India 182 Kanishka investigation to its very conclusion, and bring justice to 331 victims, their families, and the millions of Canadians and others across India and the world," he wrote in the letter, arguing that the case should not be brought to an end simply because investigators believe they have exhausted their leads.

The appeal was also marked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the foreign ministers of India and Canada, Canada's Minister of Security, the Attorneys General of Canada and British Columbia, the RCMP Commissioner and other senior RCMP officials.

The Air India Flight 182 bombing took place on June 23, 1985, killing all 329 people aboard the aircraft. It was a scheduled flight from Toronto to Mumbai with the usual Mirabel-London-Delhi stops. In its Montreal to London segment, the Boeing 747 exploded near the coast of Ireland from a bomb planted inside the aircraft by Sikh terrorists from Babbar Khalsa outfit. It remained the world's worst aviation terror attack until 9/11 in the US, and till date, is the worst in Canada and deadliest in Air India's history.

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