Reports say India will seek enhanced security from Canada for Air India flights following secessionist group Sikhs for Justice’s warning to passengers that their lives could be in danger if they fly the airline on November 19.
“We shall take up the threat against Air India flights originating from and terminating in Canada with the concerned Canadian authorities," India’s High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma was quoted as saying by the Hindustan Times.
In a video posted on November 5, SFJ’s general-counsel Gurpatwant Pannun asked Sikhs to avoid flying Air India on November 19, warning them in Punjabi that their lives could be in danger.
Air India operates multiple weekly direct flights between Toronto and Vancouver to New Delhi.
Pannun, a dual citizen of Canada and the U.S., also called for a "global blockade" of Air India flights from Vancouver to London in a statement released alongside the video.
"We are asking the Sikhs not to fly Air India on 19th November. On 19th November, there will be a global blockade and Air India will not be allowed to fly anywhere worldwide. Sikhs, you do not travel by Air India after 19th November. It can be life-threatening. This is my warning to the government of India. The Indira Gandhi International Airport should remain closed on the 19th of November," Pannun said.
India’s High Commissioner to Canada Verma added: "We have studied the contents of the video, which is in clear violation of Chicago Convention, which lays out a framework for international civil aviation operations. Canada and India, among many other nations, are Parties to the Convention. The bilateral civil aviation agreement between India and Canada has provisions to tackle such threats.”
This news comes following the murder of separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which blew up into a huge diplomatic row between India and Canada.
The warning brings back memories of the June 23, 1985 bombing of Air India flight 182, the worst terrorist attack in Canadian history. The incident happened enroute from Montreal to London and took the lives of 329 people on board, including 268 Canadian citizens.
Topics From This Article to Explore
