Air India hearings conclude

OTTAWA, Feb. 16 (UPI) -- Families of Canadians who died in the 1985 Air India terrorist bombing say they want an apology from government investigators, it was reported Saturday.

Public hearings into the bombing of the Air India flight -- in which all 329 passengers and crew on board died -- wrapped up Friday after 15 months without that act of closure sought by the families, the Toronto Globe and Mail reported.

"The government not only failed to protect their loved ones, it also failed to successfully investigate and prosecute those responsible for this heinous crime," said Jacques Shore, an attorney representing the families.

James Bartleman -- who at the time of the incident was director of security and intelligence for Canada's Department of External Affairs -- testified at the inquiry that he had seen an intelligence report that an Air India flight in Canada would be targeted the weekend of June 22-23, 1985.

The government will submit a closing written position and Commissioner John Major, a former Supreme Court justice, will then produce a final report, though there is no deadline.

The bombing was allegedly plotted by Sikh extremist Talwinder Singh Parmar.

Bal Gupta, whose wife died in the bombing, said the hearings made it "very clear that there was a good possibility -- if everybody acted according to what was expected of them -- that this tragedy could have been avoided."