Cork (Ireland)/Chandigarh | June 22 – A high-level Indian delegation arrived in Ireland on Sunday to take part in an international tribute marking the 40th anniversary of the 1985 Air India Kanishka bombing. The ceremony, to be held at the Ahakista Memorial in Cork on June 23, will honour the 329 lives lost in what remains one of the deadliest aviation terror attacks in history.
The delegation is being led by Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and includes BJP National General Secretary Tarun Chugh alongside elected representatives from five Indian states.
Among those representing India are Arvinder Singh Lovely, MLA from Delhi; Baldev Singh Aulakh, Minister in the Uttar Pradesh government; Gurveer Singh Brar, MLA from Rajasthan; Trilok Singh Cheema, MLA from Uttarakhand; and Narinder Singh Raina, MLA from Jammu and Kashmir.
The memorial event is expected to be attended by several international dignitaries, including Ireland’s Prime Minister Micheál Martin and Canada’s Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree. The ceremony stands as a shared commitment across nations to remember the victims and strengthen the fight against terrorism.
Reflecting on the significance of the visit, Tarun Chugh said, “The Kanishka bombing was a painful reminder of the brutal face of terrorism, which claimed innocent lives across nations. As I stand on Irish soil, I pay my heartfelt tribute to those who perished and reaffirm our resolve to unite against terror in all its forms.”
The bombing of Air India Flight 182, which was en route from Montreal to Delhi, occurred on June 23, 1985, off the coast of Ireland. A total of 329 people, including 268 Canadian citizens—many of Indian descent—were killed when the plane exploded mid-air due to a bomb planted by Khalistani extremists.
The annual ceremony at Ahakista continues to serve as a symbol of global solidarity against terrorism and a platform to remember the lives lost in one of the darkest chapters of civil aviation.
