SIKH COMMUNITY DEMANDS NEW COMMISSION OF INQUIRY INTO THE 1985 AIR INDIA BOMBING

TORONTO, ON — On behalf of the Canadian Sikh community, the Shiromani Akali Dal Amritsar Canada (SADA Canada), stands in solidarity with the victims and families of the 1985 Air India bombing who tragically lost their lives this week, 36 years ago. SADA is renewing it’s demand that the federal government launch a new Commission of Inquiry with absolute power aiming to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“The authorities were never able to bring to justice those who planned, funded and executed the Air India Bombing,” said Sukhminder Singh Hansra, president of SADA Canada.

“Previous investigations and inquiries by the federal government have sought to identify gaps in Canada’s security and intelligence system, but little has been done to truly identify the killers.”

On June 23, 1985, 329 innocent people, most of them Canadians, lost their lives in the worst-ever terrorist attack in Canadian history.

In 2006 the federal government called a Commission of Inquiry to investigate the bombing.

The Commission's final report, Air India Flight 182: A Canadian Tragedy, is a damning indictment of actions taken before and after the tragedy. On the 25th anniversary, Prime Minister Stephen Harper apologized on behalf of the Government of Canada and all Canadians for the institutional failings and the treatment of the victims' families.

“We’re calling upon the Trudeau government to offer up more than apologies,” added Hansra. “The Government of Canada has adopted a culture of apologies, a political tool to cover up wrongdoing”

“We want justice for the victims and families and the community who continue to suffer from stigma. We need courage from our leaders to dig deep, help us find the truth and bring real healing to us all.”

“Canadian Sikhs don’t need more apologies come the 100th anniversary of this tragedy, action must be taken - now. We demand the perpetrators of this heinous crime be brought to justice” Hansra concluded.