40 years later: Calls for museum and educational recognition of Air India tragedy

On the 40th anniversary of mass murder that killed hundreds of Canadians, a poll shows many in the country are unaware of the tragedy.

The trials were in B.C. Supreme Court, the bombs were loaded at YVR, and Canadian families are still mourning the loss of hundreds of loved ones, but the Air India tragedy is not part of the school curriculum nor profiled at any museum in this country 40 years later.

Children and siblings of the victims are calling on policymakers to fix the historic injustice on the anniversary of the day suitcase bombs ripped apart Air India Flight 182 over the south coast of Ireland as it flew from Montreal to Mumbai via London on June 23, 1985.

There have been consequences to the blind spot in our schools and historic repositories: an Angus Reid Institute survey of Canadians found a third have never heard of the largest mass murder in Canadian history.

“We (also) asked people in this poll, do you think that this has been owned or really embraced as a Canadian incident, as a Canadian tragedy?” said the pollster’s president, Shachi Kurl. “Fifty per cent say no, it has never been embraced as a Canadian tragedy and only 10 per cent say yes (it has).”

Painful lack of attention

Of the 329 people on board, 268 were Canadian citizens, a third of them children. Many of the bodies were never recovered in the frigid Atlantic waters.

“Canadian institutions and Canadian politicians never took this seriously, and as a result of it today, you know, there is no education in the in the educational system,” said Deepak Khandelwal, whose two sisters died in the explosion and crash. “There were mistakes made pre-bombing, the day of the bombing, the investigation afterwards, as well as with the criminal trial, and as a result the appropriate people that are responsible for this have never been held accountable for it.”

The trial was one of the most complex in Canadian history, held in a specially fortified courtroom at B.C. Supreme Court after two potential witnesses were killed before the trial. Charges weren’t brought for 15 years, however, and the two men charged were acquitted. Only one served a few years after admitting to being the bombmaker and later lying under oath.

Read more: Man acquitted in 1985 Air India bombings shot dead in Surrey, B.C.

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“Whether we’ll ever see justice in the system does not seem apparent, because it hasn’t been really internalized as a Canadian priority,” said Rob Alexander, whose father died on flight 182. “That that’s a bit of a sad thing.”

Kurl and Khandelwal both pointed out that it wasn’t until the 20th anniversary of the bombing that a prime minister attended a memorial service.

“The (current) Prime Minister has not attended any events in this and many families have told me over the last few days that they’re disappointed,” said Susheel Gupta, whose mother was among those murdered in the bombing. “Our leadership isn’t even taking notice.”

Blind spot in institutions

McMaster University has begun collecting a physical and digital archive after one of their professors was shocked to learn the tragedy isn’t part of the regular school curriculum.

“When I tried to teach it, I soon realized that my students – Canadian students – did not know about this Canadian history,” said Chandrima Chakraborty. “It was even more surprising to my students. They were frustrated. They were surprised. They were angry as to why they did not know about this.”

CTV News asked B.C.’s ministry of education why the topic isn’t a standard part of the curriculum and if there are any plans to include it. A spokesperson replied that school boards and teachers can address is if they decide to.

And it’s not just young people who aren’t well-versed in that dark chapter in Canadian history.

“There’s never been a public exhibit on the Air India bombings in a museum or a gallery space in the Canadian context,” said Angela Failler, Canada Research Chair in Culture and Public Memory. “I’ve done several post-secondary degrees in Canadian universities. I did not come across the Air India bombings until very late in my PhD studies.”

One of the country’s top diplomats is adamant that the public understand that while they died in foreign waters, many of the victims and suspected perpetrators were fellow citizens.

“The plot was clearly planned in Canada, created in Canada and carried out by Canadians,” said Bob Rae, who is now Canadian ambassador to the United Nations but went to a memorial service in West Cork, Ireland, as the author of an independent review into the case in 2005.

The Angus Reid survey found 71 per cent of respondents support an exhibit at the Canadian Museum of History, while two thirds believe the Air India tragedy should be taught in schools.

Federal public safety minister, Gary Anandasangaree acknowledged, “We need to do a much better job in educating Canadians and the world of the impact of the worst terrorist attack involving Canadians.”