Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal, pictured in Surrey, B.C., on Sept. 26, 2022, has sponsored a petition calling for a third inquiry into the Air India bombing.DARRYL DYCK/The Canadian Press
Nearly two decades after a second public inquiry found that Sikh extremists living in Canada orchestrated the bombing of Air India, a Liberal MP is sponsoring a petition calling on his government to order a “fresh inquiry.”
Two public inquiries reached the same conclusion about the terror attack in 1985 that killed 329 people, most of them Canadians. The petition, however, wants Canada to investigate a discredited theory promoted by some members of the Sikh community that agents with the Indian government were behind the bombing.
Revelations last fall by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau about India’s potential involvement in the slaying of a Sikh activist in Surrey, B.C., have given new life to the theory. The petition has been sponsored by long-time Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal.
The effort by some Sikhs has infuriated family members of those killed in the terror attack.
“It’s deeply frustrating,” said Bal Gupta, whose wife Rama was killed when Air India Flight 182 slammed into the Atlantic Ocean, off the coast of Ireland.
“It opens up old wounds all over again. It’s all garbage. It’s an attempt to gain publicity and support for terrorist activities.”
Mr. Dhaliwal said he sponsored the petition on Aug. 13, on behalf of members of his Surrey-Newton constituency. He would not say whether he agreed with the petition’s efforts to reopen the matter.
“This is their viewpoint, right,” Mr. Dhaliwal said. “It’s a public viewpoint. All I’m doing is taking it forward.”
Nor would he say whether he agreed with the conclusion of both inquiries that Canadian citizen Talwinder Singh Parmar, not the government of India, engineered the attack.
The rules around submitting an electronic petition to Parliament are clear that “there is no obligation on the part of the House of Commons or any Member of Parliament,” but also adds that authorizing a petition does not mean an endorsement.
A petition sponsored by an MP is submitted to Parliament as long as it has collected at least 500 signatures within four months. The government is then required to issue a response within 45 days.
No one from the Prime Minister’s Office or from the office of Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc responded to repeated requests for comment about Mr. Dhaliwal’s petition.
Air India Flight 182, originating in Montreal, exploded over the Atlantic on June 23, 1985. A second bomb hidden in a suitcase exploded prematurely while transiting through Narita Airport, killing two Japanese baggage handlers. The first 18-month-long Air India inquiry, led by former Supreme Court justice John Major, concluded in 2010 that Mr. Parmar was the architect of the twin terror attacks.
A separate inquiry, carried out by former Ontario NDP premier Bob Rae, found in 2005 that a “cascading series of errors” by the Canadian government, the RCMP and CSIS allowed the terrorist attack to take place. Mr. Rae also noted Mr. Parmar’s role as mastermind of the mass murder.
Both inquiries noted repeated warnings by the Indian government that Canadian Sikh separatists were planning to target Air India flights as part of a campaign of terror.
When asked Monday for his opinion of the motion sponsored by Mr. Dhaliwal, Mr. Rae responded: “My report speaks for itself.” He declined to comment further.
Mr. Parmar fled B.C. after he was picked up for questioning in the terror attack, and was killed by Indian police in 1992.
Two B.C. Sikh separatists were charged with mass murder and conspiracy, but were acquitted at trial. Supreme Court Justice Ian Bruce Josephson concluded that the bombing was rooted “in fanaticism at its basest and most inhumane level,” but determined the prosecution’s case fell “markedly short” of proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
Members of the Sikh community have long maintained that India, not local Sikhs, was behind the bombing. However, CSIS and the RCMP investigated the possibility Indian government agents may have played a role in provoking the attack, but discarded the theory.
The theory of India’s involvement gathered steam after the 2023 slaying of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist who helped lead a campaign for a Sikh homeland carved from Indian territory. In October, Mr. Trudeau told the House of Commons that Canada had received “credible allegations” that Indian agents may have been involved in Mr. Nijjar’s death.
The petition was created by Gurpreet Singh, a Surrey freelance journalist. Mr. Singh told The Globe that staff from Mr. Dhaliwal’s office helped him draft and edit the petition.
“The community has been saying for a very long time that the Indian government could be involved. Maybe we need to look into this episode with a fresh lens.”
The World Sikh Organization, a non-religious organization which represents Sikh interests, echoed calls for a new inquiry: “We believe that a full and transparent investigation into the possible role of the Indian government in the events leading up to the Air India bombing is necessary to ascertain the truth.”
The WSO has long called for an investigation into whether the Indian government was involved in the Air India attack and was harshly criticized by Mr. Major in his 2010 report.
Deepak Khandelwal, who lost his two sisters, Chandra, 21, and Manju, 19, in the terror attack, said he was “disgusted” by the petition.
“It’s so hurtful. It drives us crazy,” he said.
“Polling last year showed that 90 per cent of Canadians have little or no recognition of the Air India bombing. People are trying to fill that void, and rewrite history.
“The government, by allowing this type of rhetoric to continue, is allowing people to promote hatred; they are asking for another terror attack.”
Editor’s note: (Aug. 28, 2024): A previous version of this article stated the World Sikh Organization claimed the Indian government was the perpetrator of the Air India attack. In fact, the organization's position is that an investigation should be held into whether India had a role. This version has been corrected.