Kanishka: Relatives demand public inquiry

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March 17, 2005 17:50 IST

Stunned by the acquittal of the main accused in the Kanishka bombing case, the relatives of victims of the terrorist act 20 years ago, termed the judgment as a 'second tragedy'.

They demanded a public inquiry by the Canadian government.

A British Colombia Supreme Court judge on Thursday found millionaire businessman Ripudaman Singh Malik and Kamloops mill worker Ajaib Singh Bagri not guilty of the Air India bombing, which killed all 329 people on board off the Irish Coast in 1985.

"Justice was not served. There must be a public inquiry. Canadians deserve that, victims deserve that," Sushell Gupta, who lost his mother in the bombing, said after both the accused were acquitted.

"Our loved ones never came home," Gupta told reporters. "This is a national story, a personal story. It is real, painful and permanent.

Public Safety Minister Anne McLellan would not commit to holding a public inquiry. She said she would have to be convinced that there was further evidence that did not turn up during the 23-month trial to justify a public probe.

 

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