By IANS
Toronto : The World Sikh Organisation (WSO), which claims to represent the Sikhs of Canada, has welcomed the interim report of the Air India public inquiry commission, saying it paid a fitting tribute to the devastating loss which has been experienced as a result of the Air India tragedy.
Titled ‘The Families Remember’, the report released Tuesday details the turmoil of the families of the victims after the bombing of the Air India Kanishka flight 182, allegedly by radical Sikhs, on June 23, 1985, killing all 329 people on board.
The WSO had appeared as interveners at the inquiry.
Up until Sep 11, 2001, the Kanishka bombing was the single deadliest terrorist attack involving aircraft. It is also the largest mass murder in Canadian history.
In a statement, WSO president Ram Raghbir Singh Chahal said, “The loss of 329 lives is not just a loss for the victims’ families, but a loss for all of society.”
He said, “Among the victims were accomplished humanitarians, scientists, artists, and community activists, who had contributed far more to this world in their shortened lives than many of us can hope to achieve in a lifetime. Young people like Jyothi and Thejus Radhakrishna were our future leaders. The incomprehensible criminal act that resulted in the loss of their young lives, and that of their mother, Nagasundara, is clearly an affront to all right thinking people.”
The WSO praised “the courage and conviction” of Lata Pada, Dr. Chandra Sunkurathi and Dr Susheel Gupta, who have been cited extensively in the interim report for their leadership, for fight for justice for the families of the victims.
“These humble and gracious individuals have provided exemplary leadership and a role model to all of us. We can only hope that in our own times of sorrow, we can respond with such grace and fortitude as exemplified by them,” it said.
WSO advisor Gian Singh Sandhu added, “We hope that the second part of the Air India commission’s report will provide the necessary closure that will help propel us towards a better and safer future in which criminal acts like this are prevented.”