One of the two men acquitted of the infamous 1985 Air India bombings was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia, on Thursday, prompting mixed reactions from the community.
Ripudaman Singh Malik’s death was mourned by some who fondly remembered the 75-year-old as the co-founder of Khalsa School and Khalsa Credit Union.
Others who lost loved ones in the bombing — and who continue to believe Malik was involved in the terror attack, which remains the worst mass killing in Canadian history — have been left feeling numb.
“Are we finishing what happened today? Not quite,” said Rob Alexander of the Air India Victims’ Families Association. “After all, your loved one is not coming back. The damage will not be undone, physically, emotionally or mentally.”
Alexander’s father, Dr. Matthew Alexander, was among the 329 people on board Air India Flight 182 when it exploded in mid-air en route from Canada to Mumbai.
“He was going home to see his mom,” Alexander said. “I never made it.”
Another bombing attempt on a second flight from Japan failed but killed two baggage handlers. The families of the victims spent decades hoping for justice but saw only one man – bomb maker Inderjit Singh Reyat – convicted in connection with the attack.
Rayat pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2003 and was later convicted of perjury for lying repeatedly while testifying at the trial of Malik and his co-accused, Ajaib Singh Bagri, who were charged with mass murder and conspiracy. Both were acquitted.
WRONG INVESTIGATION
Alexander and other surviving family members of the Air India victims continued to blame Malik for the attack until his unexpected death Thursday, when he was shot in the Newton neighborhood of Surrey, near 82 Avenue and 128 Street.
“He was acquitted because there were some mistakes in the investigation, the agencies made some mistakes and the courts couldn’t find him guilty,” Alexander said.
The investigation into the bombings was long and complicated, dragging on for 15 years before charges were brought. Two potential witnesses in the case were also killed.
Malik became a scandalous figure in the Sikh community, spending decades under a cloud of suspicion and gossip, although he had many supporters.
In a Facebook post, his son Jaspreet Singh Malik claimed that his father was falsely accused.
“My father’s commitment was to his community and his family and his goal was to see the Sikh immigrant community flourish through education and financial security,” he wrote, adding that Malik is survived by his wife, five children, four daughters-in-law. laws and eight grandchildren.
NO ADDITIONAL RISK, POLICE SAY
A motive for Malik’s killing is unclear, but authorities have said they believe he was targeted.
“We are aware of Mr. Malik’s background,” Sergeant Timothy Pierotti of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said in a statement. “There is not believed to be any additional risk to the public.”
Gurpreet Singh Sahota, a journalist with CK News Group, noted that Malik has found new infamy in recent years by openly praising Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, amid massive farmer protests taking place in that country.
Sahota stressed that it was too early to know whether politics or Malik’s past played a role in his killing.
“It could be a business dispute,” he added.
A suspicious vehicle was found fully engulfed in flames not far from the scene of the shooting, near 82 Avenue and 122A Street, and is believed to be connected to the murder.
Given the time and location of the murder, IHIT investigators believe there are witnesses who have not spoken to police and asked anyone with information or video related to the case to come forward.
REFLECTIONS AND LESSONS
Malik’s death has sparked reflection among many Canadians, including British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix, whose wife, Renee Sarojini Saklikar, lost relatives in the Air India attack.
“We are thinking of the families, of those who lost 82 children under the age of 12,” Dix said. “The flight was in June – a lot of people were returning for holiday or to see family – so we are thinking of them today.”
In the Air India trial, prosecutors argued that Malik was seeking revenge for the Indian government’s 1984 attack on the Golden Temple while trying to drive armed militants from Sikhism’s holiest place of worship in Amritsar.
Looking back on the tragedy, Alexander said the lasting lesson of the Air India bombing is that Canadians cannot be complacent when it comes to extremism.
“You can’t think it’s never going to happen in Canada because that was the attitude in 1985,” he said.
With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Bhinder Sajan and CTV National News’ Candy Chan
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