OTTAWA, Nov. 24 (UPI) -- The Canadian government, bowing to public pressure, has agreed to hold a public inquiry into the investigation of the 1985 bombing of an Air India jetliner.
The Air India flight from Montreal, with 329 aboard, blew up on June 23, 1985 as it neared London. After years of inquiry and investigation, Canadian citizens Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri were cleared of the attack in March.
The decision caused widespread frustration among victims' families, who began calling for an independent inquiry into what became the longest and most expensive trial in Canadian history, the BBC reported. The controversy heightened after it was alleged Canada's spy agency had destroyed evidence.
The Canadian government has now accepted the recommendation in a report by former Ontario Premier Bob Rae who said there was a clear need for an inquiry into the actions of Canada's police and intelligence services both before and after the Air India bombing.
