Ripudaman Singh Malik, who was acquitted in the 1985 Air India bombing case, was shot dead in British Columbia’s Surrey, in Canada, on Thursday, 14 July.
CBC News, quoting witness accounts, reported that a total of three shots were heard and Malik was hit in the neck.
Local police said that the shots were fired at 9:30 am local time and that the man succumbed to his injuries at the scene. They added that the shooting appeared to be targeted, an AP report added.
While no arrests have been made, the police found a burnt vehicle around 2 km from the scene of the crime, and say that a second vehicle may have been involved.
"I am deeply saddened at the death of Sardar Ripudaman Singh Malik in Canada. My sincere condolences to his family," Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Delhi President and former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) chief Paramjit Singh Sarna said.
The 1985 Bombing
Malik was acquitted by a court in Canada in 2005 for the blast onboard Air India 182, Emperor Kanishka, a Boeing 747 aircraft from Montreal to Delhi. The attack, which occurred on 23 June 1985, killed all 329 people on the flight.
The two other main accused were Ajaib Singh Bagri and Inderjeet Singh Reyat. Malik and Bagri, while charged with 329 counts of first-degree murder, were eventually acquitted.
On the other hand, Reyat, who was a witness for the prosecution, had said that he could not recall the details of the plot or who was involved in the bombing.
He was the only one ever convicted for the bombing and served 30 years for lying during two trials, including Malik’s, and for his role in making the bombs at his home in Vancouver Island. He was let go in 2016.
Before the 2022 Punjab elections, Malik had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, appreciating his efforts for Sikh welfare, including the reopening of the 1984 riots case by the Bharatiya Janata Party.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)