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Tories to launch Air-India probe
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Canadian Press
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Ottawa : The Conservative government is launching a public inquiry into the 1985 Air India bombings, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced Monday.
Mr. Harper made the statement in the House of Commons after his government consulted with some victims' families. Former Supreme Court justice John Major will head the "thorough and compassionate investigation," which is to begin immediately.
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The bombing of Air India Flight 182 on June 23, 1985, was the worst terrorist attack in Canadian history, killing all 329 people on board the Montreal-London flight. That same day, two baggage-handlers were killed by a bomb at Tokyo's Narita airport.
"It is our duty as Canadians to do everything in our power to prevent a similar tragedy from ever happening again," Mr. Harper told the Commons.
"This inquiry is not a matter of reprisal, nor is it intended to go back over the criminal trial. That would serve no purpose."
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It will try to find answers to "several key questions that have emerged over the past 20 years about the worst mass murder in Canadian history," he said.
"It is our sincere hope that this action may bring a measure of closure to those who still grieve for their loved ones."
Mr. Harper has long supported a full judicial inquiry into the bombings, which the previous Liberal government opposed. In March, he appointed Judge Major to recommend guidelines for the inquiry after consulting with victims' relatives.
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Susheel Gupta is among those Judge Major consulted. Now an Ottawa prosecutor, he was only 12 when he lost his mother in the attack.
Mr. Gupta was encouraged by reports of an inquiry but was waiting to hear the details.
"I think it is a positive move on behalf of the government, calling for a public inquiry. That's something we've been seeking for 20 years," he said in an interview.
Only one man : Inderjit Singh Reyat : has ever been convicted in the attacks.
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He was sentenced to five years in prison in 2003 after striking a plea bargain under which he was convicted on lesser charges of manslaughter and with assisting in the construction of the bomb.
He was expected to provide testimony in the trials of Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri but later claimed he couldn't remember.
Mr. Malik and Mr. Bagri were acquitted last year ‹ which left furious families demanding an inquiry.
By sheer coincidence, Mr. Reyat appeared in court Monday for allegedly lying in the trial that saw Mr. Malik and Mr. Bagri walk free.
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Mr. Reyat appeared briefly by videolink in a B.C. courtroom on perjury charges, and was scheduled to be back on June 21 when a trial date could be set.
The Air India investigation, which has lasted more than 20 years, has been the costliest in Canadian history at an estimated $130-million.
The attacks were the suspected work of Sikh extremists in retaliation for a military raid on the Golden Temple, a holy site in Punjab.
The 1984 raid resulted in the deaths of about 800 Sikhs, including militants taking refuge in the temple. Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in the bloody months following the raid.
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Mr. Gupta said he doesn't expect a political inquiry to lay criminal blame on anyone. But he said an inquiry could do some good.
"We're not looking for the assignment of guilt on anybody. We hold the view of taking a positive look forward," he said.
"The fact remains that two bombs got on board two planes and resulted in the murder of 331 individuals.
"There were obviously failures in the system that need to be analyzed and rectified. . . .
"Hopefully (that will) result in changes so that no other family has to go through what we went through."
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