Forty Years On: Honouring the Memory of Kanishka and India’s Resolve Against Terror

 Forty Years On: Honouring the Memory of Kanishka and India’s Resolve Against Terror

It has been four decades since the skies over the Atlantic bore witness to one of the most devastating acts of terror in aviation history. On June 23, 1985, Air India Flight 182—also known as the Kanishka—was blown out of the sky off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 people on board. Most of them were Canadians of Indian origin, many of them children. What happened that day wasn’t just an attack on a plane—it was a tragedy that tore through families, communities, and generations.

This year, on the 40th anniversary of that heartbreaking event, I stood on the windswept shores of Ahakista in Ireland—where the debris from the Kanishka fell—and felt a profound silence. But it wasn’t an empty silence. It was heavy with memory, with grief, with the voices of loved ones lost. It was a place where time seemed to fold, bringing the pain of that distant day right into the present.

I was part of the official Indian delegation, led by Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and supported by the Ministry of External Affairs, that came to pay respects at the memorial. But our presence there was not just ceremonial. It was deeply personal—for the families who still carry the scars, for the Indian diaspora, and for a nation that refuses to forget.

More importantly, it was a declaration. A statement that even after forty years, India stands united in its fight against terrorism. That our memories are not passive; they are calls to action. The lives lost on that tragic flight deserve more than wreaths and speeches—they deserve justice, accountability, and a world that learns from its failures.

The Kanishka bombing didn’t happen in a vacuum. It was the result of dangerous ideologies, ignored warnings, and institutional failures across borders. For years, the families of the victims were left asking the same question: Why did this happen? And why wasn’t it prevented?

To stand in Ahakista is to be reminded that terrorism is not bound by geography. That a threat nurtured in one part of the world can wreak havoc oceans away. And so, India's presence at the memorial was also a message to the world: the fight against terror needs international will, shared intelligence, and most of all, the courage to act before tragedy strikes.

For India, remembering Kanishka is not just about looking back. It’s about looking forward with purpose. As we mark forty years since the bombing, we do so with resolve. We will continue to honour the victims—not only with memorials but by ensuring such horrors never happen again. We owe it to the 329 lives lost. We owe it to every person who’s ever lived in fear of terror.

In the end, memory alone isn’t enough. It must become our motivation—for vigilance, for justice, and for peace.