Four decades on, Canada’s Intelligence Agency Finally Names Khalistani's for 1985 Air India Bombing

More than four decades after the Air India Flight 182 bombing claimed 329 lives, Canada's intelligence agency has for the first time explicitly blamed Canada-based Khalistani extremists for the attack. The long-awaited admission that comes 40 years after the deadliest terrorist attack in Canadian history.

The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) on Facebook said in a statement marking the 41st anniversary of the attack on June 23 that "a bomb planted by Canada‑based Khalistani extremists destroyed the aircraft, killing everyone on board—most of them Canadians." "CSIS was less than a year old at the time, and the tragedy shaped our evolution," the agency added.

The attack occurred on June 23, 1985, when a bomb exploded aboard the Air India Boeing 747 'Emperor Kanishka' flying from Montreal to London over the Atlantic Ocean off Ireland's coast. All 329 passengers and crew died, including 268 Canadian citizens, many of Indian origin. A second bomb, targeting Air India Flight 301 in Tokyo, detonated early, killing two baggage handlers. Only one individual was ever convicted for the bombing.

For 40 years, Canadian officials had stopped short of explicitly naming the Khalistan movement in connection with the attack, with successive governments and agencies referring only to "Sikh extremists" or "Canadian-based Sikh extremist groups" without specifically identifying the Khalistan cause.

A 2010 Commission of Inquiry led by Justice John C Major found that a "Canadian-based Sikh extremist group" was behind the attack and that a "cascading series of errors" by CSIS, the RCMP and other agencies allowed it to happen, despite warnings from India. However, the report avoided explicitly naming the Khalistan movement.

The recognition from CSIS marks an important shift in its position. Just last month, the agency noted the existence of Sikh separatists "using Canada to fund extremist activities abroad, specifically against India", stating that "ongoing involvement in violent extremist activities by Canada-based Khalistani extremists (CBKEs) continues to pose a national security threat to Canada and to Canadian interests".

The CSIS report noted that "peace advocacy for a separate state of Khalistan" is lawful, and that only "a small group of individuals who use Canada as a base to promote, fundraise, or plan violence primarily in India are considered Khalistani extremists".

The belated admission comes as diplomatic relations between Canada and India remains strained. The previous Canadian administration, led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, had clashed with the Indian government over the issue, particularly after Trudeau accused Indian officials of being linked to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, an Indian-designated terrorist, in June 2023. The accusations led to a breakdown in ties, with India expelling six Canadian diplomats in October 2024.

Reacting to the CSIS statement, the Hindu Canadian Foundation welcomed "the clear, fact‑based stance" taken by the agency and reiterated its call "to designate CBKEs as a terrorist entity".