Ripudaman Singh Malik, who was acquitted of murder and conspiracy charges in 2005 with relation to the bombing of an Air India flight in 1985, was shot to death on Thursday morning (local time) in Surrey, British Columbia.
The police officials found a burning car not too far away from the area where Malik was murdered. Investigation has been launched to find out the killer and the motive behind his murder. Ripudaman Singh Malik was shot in front of the business he owned.
“The man was provided first aid by attending officers until emergency health services took over his care. The injured man succumbed to his injuries on scene,” the police later said in a statement accessed by the Guardian.
Malik was a suspect in the Air India Flight 182 bombing case where he was allegedly part of the Khalistan separatists’ group from British Columbia who planted suitcase bombs Air India Flight 182 which killed 327 people when it exploded over the Atlantic off the coast of southern Ireland.
Two baggage handlers also died when another bomb which made its way into Tokyo International Airport exploded inside the airport. The bomb reached Tokyo through Canadian Pacific Flight 003 and was in transit, destined for Air India Flight 301 to Bangkok.
He along with Ajaib Singh Bagri, both members of the Babbar Khalsa terrorist group were acquitted.
The bombings were a retaliatory move to the 1984 anti-Sikh pogroms and the Operation Bluestar launched by then prime minister Indira Gandhi to remove the Khalistan terrorists hiding inside the Golden Temple Amritsar in June 1984.
This was the deadliest terror attack in recent history until the September 2001 attacks. In 2003, Inderjit Reyat, a former Vancouver Island man, was convicted of manslaughter in both bombings.
He was a separatist and was a member of the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) which supported the Khalistan movement.
“We are aware of Mr. Malik’s background, though at this time we are still working to determine the motive. Having occurred in a residential area, we are confident that witnesses exist that could help us further this investigation. We urge them to come forward immediately and without delay,” British Columbia police official Sergeant Timothy Pierotti said.
There are also speculations that the murder could have been an act of revenge as Ripudaman Singh Malik recently wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi lauding his efforts for actions taken for the welfare of Sikhs before the Punjab elections in February 2022.
He also attracted controversy when he printed the Sikh holy book — the Guru Granth Sahib — outside of India. Malik, who was in his mid-70s, served as chairman with Khalsa School and was the president of the Vancouver-based Khalsa Credit Union (KCU).
(with inputs from Vancouver Sun, the Guardian and CBC)
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