Manmohan terms Kanishka bombing as “barbarous act”

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during a convention in New Delhi. File Photo: Rajeev Bhatt

Terming the 1985 Kanishka bombing as the “most barbarous act,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said terrorism must be fought and eliminated with determination and joint action.

“This was a horrific incident which shook the world’s conscience. It is with a sense of deep pain and sorrow that I join the families and friends in paying my homage to all those who fell victim to this most barbarous act of terrorism”, he said on the 25th anniversary of the crash of Air India Flight 182.

The Prime Minister, who will be in Canada later this week in connection with the G-20 Summit, said that no religion, faith or cause could justify such violence or inhumanity.

“On this solemn occasion, we must rededicate ourselves to fighting and eliminating terrorism with determination and joint action,” Dr. Singh said.

Air India’s Kanishka aircraft had plunged into the Atlantic on June 23, 1985 after an onboard explosion, killing all 329 passengers and crew.