HAMILTON, Canada (Diya TV) — McMaster University has launched a formal archive to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182, also known as the Kanishka tragedy. The initiative, led by Professor Chandrima Chakraborty, aims to preserve the memory of the 329 people who perished in the midair explosion—the deadliest terrorist attack in Canadian history.

The Air India archive, located at McMaster’s Research Collections in Hamilton, Ontario, houses both physical and digital materials. These include pilot badges, memorial books, the full seven-volume public inquiry report released in 2010, and personal testimonies from grieving families. According to Chakraborty, the archive seeks to counter the historical erasure of the tragedy from Canadian public memory.

“The goal of the Air India archive is to address the silencing of the Air India tragedy in Canadian history and public memory,” said Chakraborty. “This archive is about honoring those who were lost, acknowledging the pain of their families, and offering resources for education and research.”

McMaster also hosted a commemorative two-day public conference on May 24 and 25 to mark the upcoming anniversary. Co-organized by professors Amber Dean and PhD candidate Maia Lepingwell-Tardieu, the event brought together scholars, activists, and families of the victims. Speakers emphasized that although the bombing has often been labeled a “Canadian tragedy,” it remains largely underrecognized in the country’s collective consciousness.

“Perhaps marking the 40th anniversary through free, public events that center the voices of families can create greater awareness and enable informed engagement with this historical event,” Chakraborty said.

The archive is supported by the William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections and the Sherman Centre for Digital Scholarship. However, funding for the project only runs through March 2026, and Chakraborty has appealed for donations to continue digitization efforts. “I have boxes and boxes of materials that I will not be able to digitize without receiving substantial funding,” she said.

Elsewhere in Canada, calls are growing for a national memorial. Two prominent Indian-Canadian organizations—the Khalsa Diwan Society (KDS) and the North American Hindu Association (NAHA)—recently urged British Columbia Premier David Eby to establish a dedicated memorial and education center. In their letter, the groups asked for a reflection garden, a public learning facility, and educational programs to honor the victims and educate future generations.

“The family members of the victims deserve more than silence,” wrote the KDS, which manages Vancouver’s historic Ross Street Gurdwara. “We envision the Kanishka Memorial and Learning Centre as not merely a site of memory, but a living testament to the resilience of our communities and a powerful statement of our collective values.”

The bombing of Air India Flight 182 took place on June 23, 1985, when a suitcase bomb planted by Khalistani separatists exploded off the coast of Ireland. The attack killed 329 people, including 268 Canadians. A related bomb also killed two baggage handlers at Japan’s Narita Airport the same day.

Reflecting on the legacy of the attack, Dr. Angela Failler of the University of Winnipeg participated in a McMaster panel on remembrance and healing. She highlighted the “cultural afterlife” of the tragedy and co-presented a new curatorial project envisioning a national exhibition to foster learning, solidarity, and justice. Failler is also the co-editor of Remembering Air India: The Art of Public Mourning (University of Alberta Press).

As the 40th anniversary approaches on June 23, 2025, families and advocates hope that renewed public engagement will bring long-overdue recognition to Canada’s worst terror attack.