Community Urges B.C. to Create Learning Centre Honouring Air India Bombing Victims

As the 40th anniversary of the Air India Flight 182 bombing approaches, a growing coalition of faith groups and residents in British Columbia is urging the province to build a memorial and education centre to honour the victims and ensure the tragedy is not forgotten.

On June 23, 1985, a bomb exploded aboard Air India Flight 182, killing 329 people, including 280 Canadians and 86 children. The plane was en route to India after stops in Toronto and Montreal when it crashed off the coast of Ireland. The attack remains the worst terrorist act in Canadian history.

“People like me in our 50s and 60s know about it,” said Majar Sidhu, who lost family in the bombing. “But people under 40 don’t.”

“It’s still viewed as an ‘Indian tragedy,’ but it’s Canadian history.”

Sidhu and others are calling on Premier David Eby to commit to a permanent learning centre that could promote awareness and empathy, particularly among younger Canadians.

‘My Kids Haven’t Heard About This’

Vijoy Chakraborty, a Surrey occupational therapist, said his understanding of the tragedy deepened after visiting the memorial site in Cork, Ireland, where the plane’s wreckage fell. He said B.C., where the bomb was built and the lone person convicted lived, has a unique responsibility.

“There’s a real onus on B.C. to ensure this history is remembered,” he said.

Chakraborty and Sidhu are not alone. Organizations including the Khalsa Diwan Society and Vedic Sevaks are backing the call for a provincial learning centre.

“Our kids need a space to learn what happened,” said Jagdeep Sanghera of the Khalsa Diwan Society.

“The ripple effects of this violence are still being felt,” added Yogesh Bhatia, a Vedic Sevaks volunteer.

The call is supported by polling data. A recent Angus Reid Institute survey found:

• Only 10% of Canadians say they know much about the bombing.

• 33% have never heard of it.

• 66% support including it in school curricula.

• 71% back a permanent museum exhibit.

Ongoing Pain and Investigations

The only person convicted in the bombing, Inderjit Singh Reyat, served 30 years for his role in building the bomb and for perjury. Two others were acquitted, while the alleged mastermind, Talwinder Singh Parmar, was killed in India in 1992.

Ripudaman Singh Malik, one of the men acquitted, was shot and killed in Surrey in 2022. The RCMP says its investigation into the bombing remains open.

“If new or different information emerges — even after 40 years — we will investigate,” said RCMP Sgt. Vanessa Munn.

In a statement, the B.C. government said it is committed to working with communities to find meaningful ways to honour the victims.

“Acknowledging this tragic part of our history is essential to ensuring such horrors are never repeated,” the province said.

Advocates hope that by September’s Union of B.C. Municipalities convention, the momentum will grow for a space that educates — and remembers.