On September 12, RCMP top brass met with the Kanishka Foundation in Toronto to reveal that the task force may be downsized and the case could be moved to inactive status. The decision follows 41 years of investigation that uncovered 2,000 leads but yielded no new arrests.
Sanjay Lazar, chairman of the Kanishka Foundation and a victim’s relative, said the announcement shook the families, who have spent decades seeking closure. "We are being told to wait for new evidence that may never surface," he told the press.
The Air India bombing, which killed 329 people on June 23, 1985, remains Canada’s deadliest terrorist attack. A 2015 inquiry highlighted systemic failures in intelligence and security.
The RCMP has previously described the investigation as one of the largest in Canadian history, deploying hundreds of officers across five countries and reconstructing the aircraft with forensic teams.
Families now demand a comprehensive audit of the RCMP’s work before the case can be officially closed, citing the need to protect against a premature wind‑down.
The RCMP is slated to publish a draft report by October 15, after which a parliamentary committee is expected to review the findings.