Kanishka bombing: Canada admits Khalistani role in 1985 Air India bombing that killed 329
Kanishka bombing: Forty years after the deadly bombing of Air India Flight 182 in 1985 that killed 329 people, Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) for the first time has admitted the role of Khalistanis.
India's long-standing claim that the bombing was carried out by Khalistani extremists based in Canada has now been officially confirmed by Canadian authorities.
Calling it the "deadliest terrorist attack" in Canada's history, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) said the incident was a turning point for the country's national security system. The agency clearly blamed the Khalistani extremist movement for the attack.
In a post on Facebook, the agency wrote, "On June 23, 1985, a bomb planted by Canada-based Khalistani extremists destroyed the aircraft, killing everyone on board, most of them Canadians. It remains the deadliest terrorist attack in Canada's history and a defining moment for our national security community."
This comes just months after CSIS, in its annual report, identified Canada-based Khalistani extremist (CBKE) groups as a major threat to national security. The report said these groups are using Canadian soil to spread extremist ideology, raise funds and plan violent activities.
Why admission matters for India ?
The CSIS statement is significant because it is the first explicit public acknowledgement by Canada’s intelligence agency that Canada-based Khalistani extremists carried out the bombing.
India and Canada are now working to improve their relationship after a major diplomatic dispute in 2023. The tensions began when former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that India was linked to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India has repeatedly asked Canada to stop giving shelter to Khalistani extremists, saying they misuse Canada's democratic freedoms to promote violence and target India's interests.
Relations between the two countries began improving after Mark Carney became Canada's Prime Minister in March 2025.
What happened in the Kanishka bombing?
On June 23, 1985, Air India Flight 182, a Boeing 747 named Emperor Kanishka, was flying from Montreal to New Delhi with a stop in London when a bomb exploded on board over the Atlantic Ocean, near the coast of Ireland.
The blast happened about 45 minutes before the plane was due to land at London's Heathrow Airport. All 329 people on board, including passengers and crew, were killed. Most of the victims were Canadian citizens of Indian origin, while 24 were Indian nationals. Rescue teams were able to recover only 131 bodies from the ocean.
The investigation found that the bomb had been hidden inside a suitcase that was checked in by a passenger who never boarded the flight. Investigators alleged that the explosive was planted by a member of the banned Khalistani terrorist group Babbar Khalsa.
The bombing is widely believed to have been carried out in retaliation for Operation Blue Star, the Indian Army operation launched in 1984 to remove armed Sikh separatists led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale from the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
- With inputs from agencies
