As Canadian Parliament marked the first anniversary of the killing of ‘Khalistani’ terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar by holding a moment of silence in the House of Commons, the Indian Consulate in Vancouver responded by reminding the world of the 39th anniversary of the ”cowardly terrorist bombing” of Air India flight 182 (Kanishka).
A total of 329 people, including 86 children, were killed in one of the most heinous terror-related air disasters in the history of civil aviation.
The ‘India in Vancouver’, the official Twitter account of the Consulate General of India in Vancouver, in a post on Wednesday said, “India stands at the forefront of countering the menace of terrorism and works closely with all nations to tackle this global threat.”
It said, ”A Memorial Service is scheduled at 1830 hrs on June 23, 2024 at the Air India Memorial at Stanley Park’s Ceperley Playground area. @cgivancouver encourages members of the Indian Diaspora to join the event in a show of solidarity against terrorism.”
Nijjar, a ‘Khalistani’ terrorist of Indian origin, was killed in Canada’s Surrey by masked men outside British Columbia’s Gurudwara, on June 18 last year.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had accused Indian agents of involvement in Nijjar’s killing. The allegation sparked a major diplomatic row between India and Canada, with New Delhi suspending visa services for Canadian nationals.
India also asked Canada to provide evidence backing its claim but the latter has so far not shared any credible information.