Ripudaman Singh Malik, one of the suspects in the 1985 Air India bombing who was acquitted in the year 2005, was shot dead by unknowns on Thursday morning in Surrey, Canada's British Columbia province.
Several media reports suggest Malik, who came to Canada in 1972, was shot at 9.30 am (local time) by the unidentified person who came in the car. The car was later burned it, which was discovered by the police several blocks away from the site of the shooting. The officials said it appeared to be a targeted shooting.
Who was Ripudaman Singh Malik?
Migrating to Canada in 1972, Malik started his life in the North American country as a cab driver. He rose to the position of Vancouver's Khalsa Credit Union (KCU) President, which has over 16,000 members and over $110 million in assets.
Malik has served as the president of the Satnam Education Society in British Columbia, overseeing the operation of Khalsa schools that taught Punjabi and Sikh history along with the Canadian curriculum.
1985 Air India 'Kanishka' bombing
Malik was also one of the people accused of being a key member in the bombing of 1985 Air India Flight 182 'Kanishka'. On June 23, 1985, a bomb on the Air India Flight from Canada off the coast of Ireland exploded. 329 people, including the crew members, lost their lives. More than 280 Canadian citizens, including 29 families and 86 children under the age of 12 were killed.
Another similar incident took place at Japan's Narita airport on the same day. The explosion killed two workers who were loading baggage onto an Air India flight. The suitcases were traced back to Vancouver.
In 2005, Malik and his co-accused, Ajaib Singh Bagri were acquitted of mass murder and conspiracy charges. Malik spent four years in prison before his acquittal and asked for $9.2 million as legal fees. However, as per ANI, a British Columbia judge rejected his claims for compensation.
Links to Babbar Khalsa
Ripudaman Singh Malik was allegedly connected to the terrorist group named Babbar Khalsa, which was behind several attacks in Punjab. Talwinder Singh Parmar, the mastermind of the Air India bombings, was a close aide of Malik.
Visits to India
After being blacklisted for several years in India, he was granted a single entry visa in the year 2020 and several visas recently in 2022. Recently, he took a pilgrimage trip to Delhi, Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra in May this year.
Letter to PM Modi
Malik had penned a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing gratitude for the actions taken for the welfare of the Sikhs before the Punjab Assembly elections in the month of February this year. The letter mentioned the ruling BJP government's pro-Sikh works, including the re-opening of the 1984 riots case.
