Probing questions

MARKING the 39th anniversary of the bombing of Air India Flight 182 last year, the Canadian law enforcement authority said the investigation “remains active and ongoing” — alluding to the fact that the probe into one of the deadliest acts of aviation terrorism continues to throw up more questions than answers. Those killed included 268 Canadian, 27 British, and 24 Indian citizens.

The Canadian police believed that Talwinder Singh Parmar, the Vancouver-based founder of the Babbar Khalsa terrorist group, had masterminded the attack. He was killed in an encounter with Punjab Police in 1992.

Inderjit Singh Reyat, an automotive electrician, was convicted of the Narita (Japan) blast in 1991 for 10 years. He was instrumental in making bombs. Charged with having a role in the Kanishka blast in 2001, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced in 2003 to five years.

Ripudaman Singh Malik, a businessman and founder of Khalsa School, was accused of financing the operations. Ajaib Singh Bagri, founding member of Babbar Khalsa, was charged with securing the transport of two bomb-laden suitcases to the Vancouver airport. Both Malik and Bagri were acquitted. Later, Reyat was sentenced to nine years in 2011 for lying at the trial of Malik and Bagri.

Following the acquittals of Malik and Bagri, former Ontario premier Bob Rae submitted a report recommending that a focused, policy-based inquiry be held to deal with questions that remain unresolved in the case.

In May 2006, the then Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced a public inquiry, led by retired Supreme Court of Canada Justice John C Major, into the bombing. In 2010, Major released his 3,200-page report, saying that the failure of the Canadian government and its “wholly deficient” agencies to prevent the bombing was “inexcusable”. According to the report, on June 1, 1985, Air India’s chief vigilance and security manager in Bombay sent a telex to Air India offices worldwide, warning of “...the likelihood of sabotage attempts being undertaken by Sikh extremists by placing time/delay devices, etc, in the aircraft or registered baggage”.

Events leading to the blast

During the investigation by Justice BN Kirpal of the Delhi High Court, who was appointed by the Indian government, it emerged that on June 20, 1985, two tickets were purchased in the names of M Singh and L Singh.

M Singh was scheduled to board Flight CP 060 from Vancouver to Toronto, then Air India 181 from Toronto to Montreal (waitlisted), and further Air India 182 from Montreal to Delhi. L Singh was to depart from Vancouver to Tokyo and then take Air India Flight 301 from Tokyo to Bangkok.

On the morning of June 22, 1985, a CP Air passenger agent at Vancouver International Airport encountered a person who wanted to interline his luggage to Delhi despite his booking not being confirmed beyond Toronto. He entered into an argument. As the queue was long, the agent agreed and interlined the luggage.

Both M Singh and L Singh checked in with one bag each from the same counter; however, they did not board the flights. L Singh’s baggage exploded at Narita airport, killing two handlers and injuring four. M Singh’s baggage exploded over the Atlantic Ocean.

Justice Kirpal, in his report, said that it would indeed be too much of a coincidence for two people whose tickets were bought at the same time to miss their flights.

On June 22, 1985, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)’s explosives detection dog teams for the airport were away at a training course in Vancouver. The X-ray machine being used to search Air India’s checked baggage for explosives malfunctioned. Approximately 50 to 75 per cent of the checked baggage had been examined. The “flawed” PD4 (a hand-held electronic unit that examined air samples for explosive vapours) was used to screen the remainder of the checked baggage.

“No bags were opened and searched manually, despite Air India headquarters having specifically called for this measure to be taken for all flights in June, and despite a spring 1985 warning from the Government of India to all Indian airlines to be vigilant in applying anti-sabotage measures,” commented Justice Major’s report.

The RCMP had information about a plot to bomb two Air India flights by Sikh extremists as early as October 1984 from two sources, But no heed was paid.

Journalist Tara Singh Hayer, who used to publish Indo-Canadian Times, had provided information on Bagri’s admission about his involvement in the bombing. In August 1988, Hayer survived an attempt on his life which left him paralysed in a wheelchair, and on November 18, 1998, he was shot dead in Surrey, BC.

Hayer’s friend Tarsem Singh Purewal, who owned British newspaper Desh Pardesh and was aware of Bagri’s admission, was murdered in England in 1995.

Ripudaman Malik was murdered in 2022. He was shot dead in his car. Two Canadians were convicted.

Justice Major’s remarks are telling: “During initial inquiries in Ireland and India, instructions were issued by the Canadian government to avoid acknowledging that a bomb caused the crash.”