According to news reports citing local media on Thursday (July 14), Ripudaman Singh Malik, the suspect in the 1985 Air India bombings who was later cleared, was shot and killed in Canada. The founder of Khalsa Credit Union in Vancouver was assassinated in an apparent intentional shooting while en route to his workplace.
The incident took place at around 9:30 am local time. Malik was on his way to his office when he was shot dead by unknown assailants. Three shots were heard, and Malik was reportedly hit in the neck. A man who killed Malik was discovered "suffering from gunshot wounds" and "succumbed to his injuries (at the) scene," according to a statement from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, according to the news agency.
Constable Sarbjit Sangha stated, "This appears to be a targeted shooting," and added that a car thought to be driven by the gunmen was found nearby, "completely engulfed in fire." The gunmen probably escaped in another getaway car, which police are still looking for, after starting the fire, she said.
How did Ripudaman Singh Mlaik Came To Limelight?
Ripudaman o was one of the accused in the 1985 bombing of Air India's Flight 182 Kanishka, which killed 331 people, principally passengers travelling from Toronto and Vancouver in Canada. Prior to the September 11 attacks in the US, the bombing had been the deadliest act of airborne terrorism.
Investigators from Canada claim that a suitcase bomb was placed on an airplane and then moved to the Air India plane in Toronto. All of the passengers and crew on board were killed when the device detonated off the coast of Ireland. 86 children and 280 Canadians were among the victims.
His role in bombing was reported that Malik fianced the terror operation. Meanwhile, the other two prime accused were Inderjeet Singh Reyat and Ajaib Singh Bagri. Both Malik and Bagri were charged with 329 counts of first-degree murder. Not only this, Reyat, who was called as a prosecution witness, claimed he did not recall the specifics of the scheme or the names of the participants. Despite being charged with 329 counts of first-degree murder and conspiracy, Malik and Bagri were found not guilty.
In 2005, Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri were found not guilty, a decision that the prosecution claimed would have been reversed if Reyat had been truthful when testifying. Reyat served 20 years in prison before being released on parole in 2016.
Malik was imprisoned for four years prior to his acquittal. Later, he requested $9.2 million in compensation, but a British Columbia judge denied his request.
Letter to PM Modi
Ripudaman Singh Malik complimented Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his visit to India in December 2019 for his outreach to the Sikh community. In a letter he wrote in January of this year, Malik praised PM Modi in a letter for his "services to the Sikh community." The Kartarpur Corridor's opening received plaudits from him as well as the Indian government. Manjinder Singh Sirsa, the head of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), posted the letter that the Canadian-based Sikh politician had sent to PM Modi on his official Twitter account.
It was just a few weeks ago that he last travelled to India. Manjit Singh GK, a former leader of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee, reported that Malik left Canada on June 6 and returned on June 7 after staying there for more than a fortnight.