Kanishka bombing report expected to criticise police: RCMP

Bal Krishna
Toronto, Nov 23 (PTI) Much awaited public inquiry
report, ordered by Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper, on
the deadly 1985 Kanishka bombing is expected to be highly
critical of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada's top
security officer has said.
"It is fair and reasonable given the problems plaguing
the Canadian intelligence community at the time," William
Elliott, Commissioner of RCMP and a noted legal professional,
said yesterday.
"I think there were a lot of things that were a long
way from ideal," Canadian Press reported Monday quoting
Elliott, former security adviser to the Prime Minister.
A Boeing 747 carrying 329 passengers, most of them
Canadian, was en route to Indian national capital New Delhi
when it blew apart off the coast of Ireland on June 23, 1985.
The attack killed mostly Indo-Canadians including 82 children.
In early 1985, Rajiv Gandhi – the then Indian prime
minister – asked Canada and the United States to keep close
tabs on Sikh militants who might pose a security threat in the
wake of operation 'Blue Star'.
Brian Mulroney – Canada's prime minister at the time –
agreed to India's request.
Police have long believed the Air India Flight 182 was
destroyed by Sikh separatists who were against the operation
'Blue Star' during which militants were flushed out from the
Golden Temple (sikh shrine) in a military operation. PTI