In Calgary on Sunday, Canadian Sikhs held a “referendum” to gauge support for an independent Khalistan state, while honouring Talwinder Singh Parmar, the mastermind behind the 1985 Air India bombing that claimed 329 lives, including 280 Canadians.
The event was organized by Sikhs for Justice, a pro-Khalistan group known for its radical stances.
Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek has not condemned the event, nor responded to requests for comment.
Social media users have expressed shock at the celebration of Parmar, a terrorist responsible for Canada’s deadliest attack. Independent journalist Mocha Bezirgan, who documented the Sunday event, noted, “Shaheed (Martyr) Dilawar Babbar was a suicide bomber who killed the Premier of Punjab. His parents cast their vote today at Calgary city hall where ‘KILL INDIA’ slogans were raised.” Bezirgan warned, “The glorification of these characters and acts will only bring more suicide bombers and assassins out of this crowd.”
Khalistan separatist movement
The Khalistan movement, which seeks a separate Sikh homeland, emerged in the 1970s and 1980s amid significant unrest in Punjab. The period saw violent conflict between separatist groups and the Indian government, including the government’s 1984 Operation Blue Star military operation that aimed to eliminate armed Sikh militants from the Golden Temple complex. After nearly 500 casualties of Sikh militants, Sikh extremists, including those based in Canada, pursued violent revenge.
For its handling of the probe and its inability to stop the attack in spite of earlier warnings, the Canadian government came under heavy fire. Years later, in 2006, then-prime minister Stephen Harper apologized formally to the families of the victims, and acknowledged the shortcomings of the investigation.
Further criticism of Canadian intelligence and law enforcement services’ shortcomings in averting the catastrophe came from a 2010 public investigation headed by former Supreme Court Justice John Major.
