Air India serial bomb threats: Why is it significant amid Canada tensions?

A bid of weaponry threats against aggregate Indian airlines has rocked the state this week, throwing authorities determination and crossed 5 different nations into a scramble to analyse threats amid agelong delays and formation diversions.

India’s flagship carrier, Air India, has been the people of much than a twelve warnings since Monday, on with threats targeting section backstage carriers.

So far, the threats person turned retired to beryllium hoaxes. However, they travel amid heightened tensions betwixt India and Canada implicit the semipermanent beingness of Sikh separatists successful the country.

It’s a fatal combination: Sikh separatists, India, and Canada person a deadly past linked to 1 of the worst aviation disasters ever recorded.

Here’s what you request to cognize astir the weaponry threats and wherefore they substance arsenic India and Canada feud:

What weaponry threats person been received?

At slightest 19 weaponry threats person been issued connected societal media sites similar X against craft successful the state successful the abstraction of 3 days, including Air India flights and 3 backstage carriers.

Bomb threats are common, but respective targeting a state successful a fewer days is unusual.

On Monday, officials disclosed that 3 planetary flights were diverted oregon delayed pursuing threats of bombing, including an Air India formation from New Delhi to Chicago, which was forced to onshore successful a distant airdrome successful Canada. On Wednesday, Canadian officials deployed an Air Force level to airlift the 200-plus passengers to Chicago.

Another bid of threats followed connected Tuesday, including 1 targeting an Air India Express formation from Madurai successful confederate India to Singapore. The Southeast Asian nation’s aerial unit scrambled 2 F-15SG combatant jets to escort the craft to a sparsely populated bay astatine Changi Airport, said authorities.

Several threats were besides recorded connected Wednesday, targeting backstage bearer IndiGo’s flights from Mumbai to Singapore, Mumbai to New Delhi, and Riyadh to Mumbai. Two SpiceJet flights and different Akasa formation were besides affected.

Air India said connected Monday that it had received respective threats successful caller days. Indian authorities besides accidental they are investigating the incidents. At slightest 1 insignificant has been arrested successful transportation with immoderate of the threats, officials say.

On Wednesday, India’s aviation minister, Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu, condemned the threats successful a statement connected X. “I americium profoundly acrophobic implicit the caller disruptive acts targeting Indian airlines, affecting the home and planetary operations. Such mischievous and unlawful actions are a substance of sedate concern, and I powerfully condemn immoderate attempts to compromise the safety, information and operational integrity of our aviation sector.”

Why are these threats historically significant?

On June 23, 1985, an Air India formation going from Canada to India via London exploded astir the Irish coast, sidesplitting each 329 radical connected board. There were 307 passengers – mostly Canadian citizens of Indian root – and 22 unit members. It was the worst aviation catastrophe successful the satellite earlier the 9/11 attacks connected the United States. It remains Canada’s worst aerial catastrophe to date.

On the aforesaid day, different weaponry went disconnected successful a Tokyo airport, sidesplitting 2 Japanese baggage handlers. The weaponry was believed to person targeted different Air India formation to Bangkok earlier exploding prematurely.

Investigators blamed Sikh separatists who were believed to beryllium seeking revenge for the Indian Army’s deadly storming of the Golden Temple successful Punjab authorities a twelvemonth earlier. At the time, the question for a abstracted Sikh federation formed from Indian Punjab — called Khalistan — had gained momentum successful India. Since then, the Khalistan question has mostly died successful India, but has beardown enactment among sections of the Sikh diaspora successful Canada, the US, the UK and Australia.

Although respective radical were accused and charged implicit the 1985 bombings, lone 1 was convicted: Inderjit Singh Reyat, a British Canadian electrician, served sentences successful Canada and the UK betwixt 1991 and 2016. He is present a escaped man.

Talwinder Singh Parmar, a Canadian Sikh separatist leader, was tried alongside Reyat but aboriginal released due to the fact that the prosecution couldn’t beryllium its case.

Canadian constabulary successful 2000 besides arrested affluent Vancouver businessman Ripudaman Singh Malik, and Ajaib Singh Bagri, a mill idiosyncratic from British Columbia, connected charges including wide execution and conspiracy. Both were besides released.

Families of the victims person agelong accused Canadian authorities of not doing capable to apprehension the perpetrators. In 2010, a four-year enquiry by Canadian investigators recovered that authorities had mishandled the investigations and that a bid of errors had allowed the attacks to happen.

Sikh separatist person Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is pictured successful his bureau connected Wednesday, Nov. 29, 2023 [Ted Shaffrey/Reuters]

Have determination been much caller threats?

In precocious 2023, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist person based successful the US, warned radical successful a video posted connected societal media to enactment distant from Air India flights opening November 19, 2023. The informing came aft reports emerged of a foiled assassination crippled to termination him connected US soil.

Pannun, an migration lawyer, is simply a person of the US-based Sikhs for Justice radical (SFJ), which is banned successful India. He is known for his vocal and convulsive separatist advocacy for Khalistan and for anti-India videos connected societal media, wherever helium sometimes encourages radical to deface the Indian emblem oregon scribble anti-India graffiti. He has been charged with coercion and conspiracy successful India. In October 2023, helium threatened to transportation retired a ‘Hamas-like’ onslaught connected India, successful the aftermath of Hamas’ deadly attacks connected Israel.

An Indian concealed work cause directed a crippled to assassinate Pannun, according to an indictment released by the US Department of Justice past November. The operative was besides linked to a abstracted high-profile execution of a Sikh separatist person successful Canada – besides successful 2023.

The US cognition was foiled after Nikhil Gupta, a New Delhi businessman hired by the Indian agent, unknowingly partnered with a US concealed work informant to transportation retired the murder, starring to his arrest, according to US authorities. Gupta’s lawyers are expected to conscionable prosecutors connected Thursday to question a plea deal.

What’s the existent India-Canada situation about?

Tensions ignited by the weaponry threats travel amid a deepening spat betwixt India and Canada that has seen some sides expel oregon retreat dozens of diplomats implicit the past year.

In September 2023 Canadian President Justin Trudeau, speaking successful parliament, archetypal accused India of the sidesplitting of Sikh separatist person Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was fatally changeable extracurricular a temple successful Surrey, a Vancouver suburb, connected June 18.

India’s authorities dismissed the allegations arsenic “absurd” and asked Canada alternatively to ace down connected the anti-India groups operating from its territory. For years, India has accused Canada of harbouring Sikh separatists, though Canada denies it.

Sikh groups person carried retired unofficial referendums connected Khalistan successful Canada. Nijjar, 45, was wanted successful India for an alleged onslaught connected a Hindu clergyman successful the country.

Four Indian nationals, whom Canadian authorities accidental are linked to a notorious Indian transgression boss, person been arrested for his murder.

Why person tensions escalated?

On Monday, the spat escalated aft Canadian officials expelled India’s High Commissioner, Sanjay Kumar Verma, and 5 different Indian diplomats, accusing them of engagement successful the Nijjar assassination and different “acts of violence” against Sikh separatists.

Trudeau said the Canadian constabulary had uncovered “clear and compelling” grounds of Indian authorities engagement successful Nijjar’s sidesplitting and targeting of others.

“This includes clandestine information-gathering techniques, coercive behaviour targeting South Asian Canadians, and engagement successful implicit a twelve threatening and convulsive acts, including murder,” Trudeau told reporters astatine a quality conference.

On Wednesday, the Canadian premier curate doubled down connected the accusations during an enquiry connected overseas interference successful the country, saying India had made a “horrific mistake” violating Canada’s sovereignty.

India connected Monday likewise expelled six Canadian diplomats, including the acting precocious commissioner of Canada successful Delhi, Stewart Ross Wheeler, according to a connection from India’s Ministry of External Affairs of India.

The country’s overseas bureau said that it had “received a diplomatic connection from Canada suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and different diplomats are persons of interest” successful the ongoing probe into Nijjar’s assassination.

“This latest measurement follows interactions that person again witnessed assertions without immoderate facts. This leaves small uncertainty that connected the pretext of an investigation, determination is simply a deliberate strategy of smearing India for governmental gains,” its connection read.

“India present reserves the close to instrumentality further steps successful effect to these latest efforts of the Canadian Government to concoct allegations against Indian diplomats.”

Vina Nadjibulla, probe manager astatine the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, told Al Jazeera that Monday’s expulsions marked “a superior escalation successful the diplomatic tensions” which person present gone connected for implicit a year.

“We’re seeing a diplomatic rupture,” said Nadjibulla. “Canada is continuing to telephone connected India to cooperate with the investigation, but India has refused to bash that.”

“What volition beryllium decisive successful this is the views of our cardinal allies and partners,” the expert added, referring to a imaginable effect by the US and different Group of 7 nations, of which Canada is simply a member.