By Gurmukh Singh, IANS
Toronto : The countdown has begun for the final report by the Air India public inquiry commission.
The panel, which concluded its 16-months hearings and presented an interim report to the government before the Christmas holidays, reconvenes mid-February for two-day public hearings.
After public hearings, it will start compiling the final report to be submitted to the government this spring.
Making it final submissions to the panel Thursday, the Jewish organization of B’nai Brith Canada said: “Canada’s failure to take the appropriate lessons from the Air India bombing and adequately address the issue of terrorism, which has since become the scourge of the 21st century, makes this commission’s forthcoming report to the government of Canada so important.
“The commission’s forthcoming report will be an excellent opportunity to begin the process of collective learning from one of the darkest episodes in Canadian history. It will come late – 19 years after the event. However, it may not be too late.”
It also demanded tighter anti-terror provisions to make terrorism an offence under the Canadian Criminal Code.
The influential body was the first among a dozen organizations to be granted intervener status by Justice John Major who heads the public inquiry into the 1985 Kanishka terror bombing that killed all 329 people on board.
The panel will meet for public hearings Feb 14 and 15 before it starts its work on drafting the final report.
In its interim report Dec 11, the panel had put on official record the trauma of the victims’ families and castigated the Canadian government for short-changing them on compensation and its tardy response to the tragedy.
The panel was set up by the government in May 2006 after acquittals of Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri in 2005 led to demands by the victims’ families and Indo-Canadian politicians for a public inquiry to fix responsibility for the tragedy.
Its mandate is to point out systemic failures that led to the worst aviation tragedy till 9/11 happened. Former Supreme Court chief justice John Major heads the inquiry that will cost millions to Canadians. Earlier, the Air India trial, which resulted in acquittal of Malik and Bagri in 2005, had cost Canadian taxpayers about $140 millions.