Washington: Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), a pro-Khalistan advocacy group, has issued a direct call to shut down Air India operations in Canada, citing disclosures by American spy and CIA whistleblower John Kiriakou that point to the Indian government’s role in the 1985 Air India bombing.
Kiriakou stated: “India blew up a 747, no less…” — referring to Air India Flight 182 (Kanishka), which killed 329 people, most of them Canadians, in the deadliest aviation attack in Canadian history.
“For 40 years, Canadians have been told that Khalistan supporters were responsible. Now an American spy has disclosed what SFJ has been stating since 2010 — the Indian government’s role in the bombing of AI 182,” said Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, SFJ general counsel.
SFJ asserts that the Indian government’s involvement in the bombing has been deliberately obscured, pointing to glaring discrepancies in the John Major Commission report, including the expulsion of Indian diplomats Surinder Malik, Brij Mohan Lal, and Davinder Ahluwalia, identified as the “suspected masterminds.”
“This is Canada’s national tragedy — 329 lives lost — and yet the Indian government’s role in the bombing has never been fully investigated,” Pannun said. “As now disclosed by an American spy, India blew up a 747. Canadians must ask: why is Air India still operating freely in Canada?”
SFJ says that continued Air India operations in Canada normalize and erase accountability for what it calls the Indian government’s role in the bombing.
“Air India is not just an airline — it is a reminder of an unresolved mass killing of Canadians by the Indian government,” Pannun added. “Until there is accountability for the Indian government’s role in the bombing, Air India operations must be shut down.”
As part of its campaign, SFJ has issued a “PICKET” call for April 12, 2026, targeting:
Air India Flight AI 186
Route: Vancouver to Delhi
Pannun said the picket of AI 186 will directly confront what SFJ describes as decades of misdirection, where Indo-Canadian Hindu organizations and sections of the media have deflected attention from the Indian government’s role in the bombing. Now, with the disclosure by the CIA official that “India blew up a 747, no less…,” the truth is out.
“Every Air India flight from Canada reopens the wounds of 329 Canadian families,” Pannun said. “Canadians must choose truth over silence and shut down Air India operations.”