Ripudaman Singh Malik shot dead in Canada - Who was he? How was he related to 1985 Air India bombing? Read here

Ripudaman Singh Malik, who was shot dead in Canada on Friday, was the acquitted suspect in the 1985 Air India bombings. He was shot dead in an apparent target killing while on his way to the office. In 2005, Malik was acquitted in the Air India mass murder case because of the lack of evidence against him. In a statement, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said: "We are aware of Mr Malik's background, though at this time we are still working to determine the motive. We can confirm that the shooting appears to be targeted and there is not believed to be any further risk to the public."

Who was Ripudaman Singh Malik?

Ripudaman Singh Malik was a 75-year-old prominent Sikh businessman based out of Canada. He was acquitted in the Air India mass murder case, which was Canada’s worst terrorist attack, because of the lack of evidence against him. Malik spent four years in prison before his acquittal. He then sought 9.2 million dollars as legal fees but a British Columbia judge rejected his claims to collect legal fees.

Malik was also the founder of Khalsa Credit Union in Vancouver. He was also reportedly a one-time supporter of the Sikh separatist Khalistan movement.

He came to Canada in 1972 and started off as a cab driver. Later, as a successful businessman, he went on to become the president of a 16,000-member Vancouver-based Khalsa Credit Union (KCU) with assets worth over 110 million dollars.

Malik last visited India in 2019 after 25 years following the Narendra Modi government’s decision to remove his name from the ‘blacklist’. He later thanked PM Modi for clearing his name.

How was Ripudaman Singh Malik related to the 1985 Air India bombings?

The 1985 Air India bombing is among the worst terrorist attacks in Canadian history and in the history of the airline.

In Malik's trial, British Columbia Supreme Court heard that a suitcase bomb was loaded onto a plane at Vancouver's airport and then transferred in Toronto to Air India Flight 182. The aircraft crashed into the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Ireland, killing 329 passengers and crew.

On June 23, 1985, Air India flight 182, carrying 329 people, including 268 Canadian citizens and 24 Indian citizens, flew from Toronto and had stopped in Montreal from where it was en route to London and then onwards to its final destination Bombay.

The plane was flying 31,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean when a suitcase bomb exploded in the front cargo, killing all on board.

Another bomb was meant to be planted in an Air India flight scheduled to take off from Japan but it exploded at Tokyo's Narita airport killing two baggage handlers.

(With inputs from agencies)