Irish and Canadian diplomats joined Indian officials in New Delhi on Tuesday to commemorate the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 by Khalistani terrorists and honor the 329 victims of the attack.
Canada’s High Commissioner Chris Cotter and Irish Deputy Ambassador Raymond Mullen joined families of victims of the Air India Flight 182 disaster at a remembrance ceremony at Canada House in New Delhi. The Indian side was represented by Siddhartha Nath, Joint Secretary (Administrative), Ministry of External Affairs.
This was the second year in a row that the three countries jointly commemorated the worst act of aviation terrorism until the September 11 attacks in the United States. Other members of the diplomatic corps also attended the ceremony.
Participants placed wreaths on a memorial tree planted in Canada House, the residence of the Canadian envoy, in 2025 in memory of the victims and observed a minute of silence. The guests signed a book of remembrance in honor of those who lost their lives. Speaking on the occasion, Cotter said: “Forty-one years after the tragedy of Air India Flight 182, we remember the 329 innocent lives lost and stand in solidarity with their families. The bombing remains a painful chapter in Canada’s history and a solemn reminder that terrorism has no place in our societies.”
“As we honor those who were taken from us, with India, Ireland and our international partners, we reaffirm our shared commitment to remembrance, justice and a future rooted in peace, security and compassion.”
Mullen said the gathering honored “those who have been lost” and recognized “the families who have borne this loss with remarkable courage for more than four decades.” He added: “Terrorism leaves lasting scars, but it cannot extinguish our common humanity. By remembering, standing together and promoting understanding, we reaffirm our determination to reject hatred and build a more peaceful future.”
Air India Flight 182 was operating the Montreal-London-Delhi route when the Boeing 747 was shot down by a bomb planted by Khalistani terrorists at an altitude of 9,400 meters on June 23, 1985. The aircraft crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while in Irish airspace.
329 people were killed, including 268 Canadians, 27 British citizens, 22 Indian citizens, 10 Americans, and two people whose nationalities were not finally registered. Most Canadian citizens were of Indian descent.
Relatives of the victims traveled to Ireland in the days following the bombing. The Irish Naval Service led a recovery operation to recover the remains of the victims and the wreckage of the flight. Many relatives resided with the Ahaxta people in County Cork during this time.
The village erected a permanent memorial in 1986, and a remembrance is held there on the morning of June 23 each year.
June 23 is also observed in Canada as National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism. Memorials stand across the country in Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa as a lasting tribute to those lost in this tragedy.
In a statement on the occasion of this day, Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said that the bombing “remains the deadliest terrorist attack in Canadian history.”
“The legacy of Air India Flight 182 requires remembering, but also vigilance. The Canadian government confronts and condemns violent extremism in all its forms, with new legislation to defend the safety and security of Canadians, strengthen our national security institutions, and disrupt terrorist financing and support networks. We are supporting front-line community intervention programs and equipping our security agencies with stronger tools to better detect, prevent and disrupt terrorist activity,” he said.
“The government’s first job is to protect Canadians, and that will always be our mission and focus,” Carney said.
In March, Mahesh Chandra Sharma, who lost his family in the tragedy, was honored with the Order of Canada. He is a professor at Concordia University and has established scholarships in honor of family members who were among the victims of the bombing.
