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 — were left numb. “Do we have closure from what happened today? Not really,” said Rob Alexander of the Air India Family Victims Association. “In the end, your loved one doesn’t come back. The damage isn’t repaired, physically or emotionally or mentally.” Alexander’s father, Dr. Matthew Alexander, was among 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 mother,” 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. Reyat pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2003 and was later convicted of perjury for repeatedly lying while testifying at the trial of Malik and his co-accused, Ajaib Singh Bagri, who were charged with mass murder and conspiracy. Both men were acquitted.
A DEFECTIVE 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 Surrey’s Newton neighborhood near 82nd Avenue and 128th Street. “He was acquitted because there were some mistakes during 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 complex, and it took 15 years before charges were brought. Two potential witnesses in the case were also killed. Malik became a notorious 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 thrive through education and financial security,” she wrote, adding that Malik is survived by his wife, the five children, his four daughters-in-law. laws and eight grandchildren.
NO FURTHER DANGER, POLICE SAYS
The motive for Malik’s killing is unclear, but authorities have said they believe it was targeted. “We are aware of Mr. Malik’s background,” Capt. Timothy Pierotti of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said in a statement. “There is not believed to be any further risk to the public.” Gurpreet Singh Sahota, a reporter for CK News Group, noted that Malik has found new infamy in recent years by openly praising Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, amid ongoing mass farmers’ protests 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 near the scene of the shooting, near 82nd Avenue and 122A Street, and is believed to be connected to the homicide. 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 many Canadians concerned, including B.C.’s health minister. Adrian Dix, whose wife, Renée 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 – many people were returning for holidays or to see family – so we are thinking of them today.” In the Air India trial, prosecutors claimed Malik was seeking revenge for the Indian government’s 1984 raid on the Golden Temple as it tried to drive armed militants from Sikhism’s holiest place of worship in Amritsar. Reflecting on the tragedy, Alexander said the lasting lesson from 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 Bhinder Sajan of CTV News Vancouver and Candy Chan of CTV National News
