The head of the group that represents the families of the victims of the 1985 Air India bombing says the RCMP has pulled back resources dedicated to investigating the deadliest terrorist attack in Canadian history.
asserted
RCMP → represent → history
Deepak Khandelwal, whose two siblings, Chandra and Manju, died in the bombing, said the RCMP told victims’ families in a Sept. 12 meeting in Toronto that investigators had exhausted all angles, and the investigation is considered “inactive.”
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investigation → die → angles
Only one person was ever convicted in connection with the bombing, bomb maker Inderjit Singh Reyat, who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2003.
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who → convict → 2003
Trials for two British Columbia men allegedly tied to the explosion ended in acquittals.
uncertain
Trials → tie → acquittals
Mr. Khandelwal said in an interview that he is “disappointed, angry, upset.”
“But not surprised, because they have let us down for 41 years, and this is just the next step in it.”
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this → say → it
Federal Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said in a statement to The Globe and Mail that the RCMP have told Ottawa that the investigation “remains open.”
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investigation → say → Ottawa
“This is not a closed matter.
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This → close → ?
Should new, credible information or evidence come forward, it will be assessed and investigated and may lead to further investigative steps,” Mr. Anandasangaree said.
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Anandasangaree → come → steps
His office did not immediately respond to follow-up questions asking for specifics on what resources remain actively committed to the investigation.
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resources → respond → investigation
The RCMP did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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RCMP → respond → comment
Mr. Khandelwal was a first-year university student from Saskatoon when he flew across the Atlantic with his father to identify the bodies of his older sisters.
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he → fly → sisters
“They don’t close a file, but inactive means there’s no resources assigned to it,” he said of the RCMP.
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he → close → RCMP
Since the meeting with police earlier this month, families of some victims have sent letters to Prime Minister Mark Carney and the RCMP accusing investigators of failing to look into every possibility.
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families → send → possibility
Sudha Berry, whose 16-year-old brother was killed on the flight, wrote in her letter to Mr. Carney and the RCMP that the trust victims’ families placed in Canadian institutions has been “betrayed repeatedly.”
“While we acknowledge that there are many activities that you undertake that we will never be aware of and that there are many dedicated officers who have devoted their careers to the investigation, the fact remains that the results have been less than satisfactory,” Ms. Berry wrote.
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Berry → kill → investigation
It has been more than 41 years since Air India Flight 182 departed Montreal’s international airport en route to Delhi and was destroyed by a bomb in midair as it flew near the coast of Ireland.
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it → depart → Ireland
All 329 passengers, most of them Canadian, were killed in the June 23, 1985, bombing.
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most → kill → bombing
Authorities believe Sikh extremists fighting for independence from India planted the bomb on the plane, which crashed in the Atlantic Ocean near Ireland’s southern coast.
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which → believe → coast
A public inquiry into the subsequent investigation found “a cascading series of errors” by the RCMP, CSIS and the federal government, according to the inquiry’s 2010 final report.
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inquiry → find → report
Recently, families of victims have been waiting for Ottawa to release the scattered pieces of airplane fuselage from storage in B.C., held under lock-and-key because of the investigation.
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Ottawa → wait → investigation
Many of the families living in Canada have received the belongings of victims that were collected in the wreckage, Mr. Khandelwal said.
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Khandelwal → live → wreckage
But only some of the families in the U.S. and India have received the belongings of their loved ones, he said.
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he → receive → ones
Mr. Khandelwal said he and the families were blindsided by the RCMP’s decision.
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he → say → decision
The RCMP’s invitation to the Sept. 12 meeting, reviewed by The Globe, said it would be providing an update on the status of the investigation, “including an outline of future steps.”
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it → review → steps
The RCMP’s communication with families in recent years has slowed to a drip, Mr. Khandelwal said.
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Khandelwal → slow → drip
He said families requested a meeting with RCMP investigators in June 2025 when, days before the attack’s 40th anniversary, Mounties told media that a suspect known as “Mr. X” had died before facing charges.
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suspect → say → charges
RCMP said the individual was believed to have helped test a bomb before the attack.
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individual → say → attack
Mr. Khandelwal said families learned of the revelations through media reports and requested a meeting shortly after.
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families → say → meeting
He said the meeting didn’t happen until the RCMP summoned families for the update earlier this month in Toronto.
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RCMP → say → Toronto
His message to the RCMP is simple: continue the investigation.
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message → continue → investigation
“I just think they need to keep the investigation going.
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they → think → investigation
They need to be transparent with the family members in whatever confidential way, and they have to commit to being a little bit more regular in communicating with families,” he said.
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he → need → families
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