Jagmeet Singh now rejects glorification of Air India bombing mastermind

After having expressed some doubts, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said today he accepts the Air India inquiry's conclusion thatTalwinder Singh Parmarwas the mastermind behind the deadly mid-air bombing that killed hundreds of Canadians and he thinks it's inappropriate for some Sikhs to glorify Parmarby displaying his photo.

"There was an inquiry that was conducted into this horrible terrorist act. The inquiry identified specifically Talwinder Singh Parmar, and I accept the findings of the investigation, of the inquiry. I accept them and I condemn all those responsible," he said in an interview with the CBC's David Cochrane Thursday.

Jagmeet Singh on attending events in the Sikh community

7 years ago

Duration 2:24

The federal NDP leader explains why he will continue to attend Sikh events even when posters celebrating the Air India bomber Talwinder Singh Parmar are displayed.

The 18-month long Air India inquiry, led by former Supreme Court justice John Major, pointed to Parmar as the chief terrorist behind the bombing.

A separate inquiry, carried out by former Ontario NDP premier and Liberal MPBob Rae, also fingered Parmaras the architect of the 1985 bombing that left 329 people dead 268 of them Canadians.

In an interview with CBC's Terry Milewski last October, Singh refused to denounceextremists within Canada's Sikh community who glorifyParmar's memory.

When Milewskiasked him specifically about Parmar, Singh said this: "I don't know who's responsible [for the bombing] but I think we need to find out who's responsible, we need to make sure that the investigation results in a conviction of someone who is actually responsible."

A day after a 2015 appearance by Singh at aKhalistan"sovereignty" rally ignited criticism, the NDPleader said the inquiry'sfindings are not in doubt and he accepts that Sikh extremists were behind the attack.

Singh responds to criticism

7 years ago

Duration 0:51

Jagmeet Singh spoke with the CBC's David Cochrane Thursday in Ottawa

Some don't accept 'official record,' Singh said

Singh saidthe aftermath of the bombing was painful not only for the families of the victims but also for many Sikhs who felt they were "collectively punished for the acts of some individuals."

Because of the history of violence and persecutiondirected at some Sikhs, it has been hard for some in the community to accept thatParmar was to blame, he said.

"There are some in the community that don't accept the official record," he said.

When asked if he thought it was appropriate for somegurdwarasSikh housesof worship to display pictures of Parmar, Singh said he did not.

"Personally, I think the displaying of a picture of Mr. Parmar is something that re-traumatizes and hurts and injures people that are suffering so much in terms of that loss in their lives," he said.

"I don't think it's appropriate, so I don't think it should be done. It doesn'thelp us move forwardwith peace and reconciliation."

Militant leader honoured by some Sikhs

At the controversial 2015 rally Singh attended, the stage featured a large poster of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, a militant leaderregarded by the Indian government as a terroristbut celebrated by some Sikhs who want a state separate from India.

Bhindranwalewas killed in an Indian militaryraid on the Golden Temple, a sacred site then regarded as a hotbed of the Khalistan independence movement. His death in the raid made him a martyr to many Sikhs who were appalled that an Indian prime minister would approve armed action against a revered religious site.

Indira Gandhi, India's prime minister, was later killed by her Sikh bodyguards for sanctioning the Golden Temple action. That killing later prompted retaliatory violence against many Sikhs.

Singhspent much of his early political life lobbying the Ontario government to recognize the 1984 anti-Sikh riotsthat resulted from Gandhi's killingas an act of genocide.

In Thursday's interview, Singh said he has no qualms about attending events where controversial figures with violent pastsare venerated even if he does not condone their actions himself because they offer him a chance to have a "dialogue" with disaffected Sikhs.

'Better late than never'

7 years ago

Duration 5:39

Former BC Premier and former Federal Liberal cabinet minister Ujjal Dosanjh on NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh denouncing the architect of the Air India bombing.

"I still think it's important to reach out to people and talk about my journey, about how I felt the same pain and trauma knowing that people who look just like me were singled out and targeted and murdered," he said.

He said he views such events as offeringa chance to talk about what the Sikh community can do to "transform that pain into something positive."

UjjalDosanjh, a former B.C.NDPpremier and federal Liberal cabinet minister, said Singh's denouncement ofParmaris "better late than never."

"I think he's done the right thing. I just wish he had done sofrom the beginning," he said in an interview with CBC News.

But Dosanjhsaid he's concerned about Singh's pledge to continueattending events that might involve the celebration ofextremistfigures.

"He has obviously grown up in the grievance politics of post-1984. He didn't grow up in India.I did, I know the realities on the ground, I know that bothBhindranwaleand the government were all to blame for what happened," he said.

"He ought to be a quick study on these issues, and he has proved not to be, and that's a worrying sign."

Dosanjhwho has himself faced death threatsfrom extremistswho havebranded him a "Sikh traitor" for his opposition to separatism notedBhindranwalehad amassed a trove of weapons at the Golden Temple before it was stormedby Indian troops.

Singh also said Thursday there is nothing wrong withpeople discussing the possibility of an independent homeland for Sikhs separate from India, but he himself will not weigh in on that debate.

"It is not my place to have an opinion. With respect to other countries, it is up to the people to decide," he said.