Ripudaman Singh Malik, who was exonerated in the 1985 Air India bombing case, was shot dead in Surrey, in Canada’s British Columbia, on Thursday morning. The reports suggest that Malik, a Canadian Sikh businessman acquitted in connection with the 1985 Air India bombing that killed 329 people.
But very few are aware that not only Ripudaman but two more people accompany him in this heinous crime. Named Inderjeet Singh Reyat and Ajaib Singh Bagri, were also the prime suspects in the Air India bombing. When digging into more, it has been noted that Inderjeet Singh Reyat was convicted three times but is still the only man convicted at all in Canada's worst-ever mass murder. Let's learn more about Reyat.
Who is Inderjeet Singh Reyat, A suspect in the air bombing of 1985?
Reyat, a mechanic from Punjab who now resides on Vancouver Island, purchased the explosives, detonators, and batteries that caused the explosion that killed 329 people on Air India Flight 182, which originated in Toronto, paused in Montreal, and travelled to Heathrow Airport in London.
Two Japanese baggage handlers were killed when a second bomb went off almost simultaneously as they were transferring the luggage to another Air India flight departing from Tokyo's Narita International Airport. Both bombs had a Vancouver origin. They were checked in by passengers who never boarded. Two spectacular killings, one on either side of the world, were intended to be carried out. 331 innocent people passed that day in all. Most were from Canada. Also, there were dozens of children and the families in their entirety perished.
Reyat, militant fighting for a nation of the Sikhs, was initially found guilty of making the Narita bomb. Then, at the Air India trial in Vancouver, he was charged with several murders on Flight 182 together with two other Sikh fanatics.
Reyat made a deal and admitted to manslaughter despite his refusal to reveal what he knew. Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri, the other two, were found not guilty.
Now, digging into another suspect Ajaib Singh Bagri, it has been noted that Bagri, a mill worker from Kamloops, BC. Along with Ripudaman Singh Malik, Ajaib Singh Bagri acquitted in 2005 was proved baseless.
Who is Ajaib Singh Bagri, another accused in Air India Bombing 1985?
According to rumours, Ajaib Bagri played a significant role in raising money for Babbar Khalsa's Parmar group. Bagri was able to maintain Babbar Khalsa's status as a non-profit organisation thanks to the close relationships he formed with numerous notable individuals throughout his extended stay in Canada. After developing close contacts with many prominent personalities during his long stay in Canada, Bagri was able to retain Babbar Khalsa's status as a non-profit organisation. According to recent sources, Bagri has signed up about 200 new British Columbia Liberals to vote against Gur Singh of the moderate side.
Additionally, Tara Singh Hayer, a Canadian Sikh writer and editor of the Indo-Canadian Times, was the target of a 1988 assassination attempt on Bagri. Hayer was a vocal opponent of the Kanishka bombing suspects. Hayer managed to escape that particular attempt, but he was later killed by gunfire in 1998.
So, these are some information about the suspects in the Air India bombing 1985 case. Along with them there is mastermind Talwinder Singh Parmar. He was also the founder, leader, and Jathedar of Babbar Khalsa International, better known as Babbar Khalsa, a militant Sikh extremist group involved in the Khalistan movement.
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