UMVA has learned that Deepak Khandelwal's life was forever changed on a fateful day more than four decades ago, an event that still haunts him to this day.
The pain of losing his two sisters in the Air India Flight 182 bombing, the deadliest act of aviation terrorism in global history prior to 9/11, continues to resonate deeply within him. "It is a daily thing," Khandelwal shared, his voice laced with emotion. "It is not something you forget or get over. You do think of them all the time. You don’t get over it but you learn to deal with it, is how I would say it."
The devastating event claimed the lives of 331 innocent people, including 268 Canadian citizens, leaving an indelible mark on the nation's history. Yet, Khandelwal feels that two well-known politicians have callously forgotten the incident, choosing not to attend a memorial service in Toronto.
"We got turned down again the year by Mayor Olivia Chow, who is not coming to the memorial service in Toronto, and Premier Ford is not going to come. They just don’t care, to be blunt," Khandelwal expressed, his frustration and disappointment palpable. "They just don’t care and they don’t care about these Canadians who were murdered, they continue to think of it as a foreign tragedy because it happened to be an Air India plane and not an Air Canada plane."
A recent poll revealed a staggering 90% of Canadians confess to knowing little to nothing about the Air India bombing, a stark reminder of the neglect and disinterest shown by elected officials. "It has never been taken seriously and that is what offends the families, this neglect and disinterest in Canada’s largest mass murder from our elected officials," Khandelwal lamented.
To keep the memory of the victims alive, a ceremony will be held next Tuesday at noon on the Queen’s Park Legislative assembly grounds, followed by a second ceremony at the Air India Memorial in Humber Bay Park East at 6:30 p.m. Khandelwal hopes that by sharing the story, he can inspire change and ensure that the tragedy is not forgotten.
Khandelwal's vision for the future includes incorporating the story of the Air India bombing into the school system, so that Canadians can learn from this tragic event. "We would like to get this into the school system, so people are taught about this in Canadian history," he said. "It is not talked about, and it is Canada’s largest mass murder. We have to make sure Canada never forgets this."
The Air India Flight 182 Victims’ Families Association is working tirelessly to preserve a piece of history, seeking to display a piece of the plane's wreckage in a national museum. For Khandelwal and the families of the victims, this is a crucial step towards keeping the memory of their loved ones alive.
