Man acquitted in 1985 Air India bombings shot dead in Surrey, B.C.

One of the two men acquitted in the notorious 1985 Air India bombings was gunned down in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, prompting mixed reactions from the community.

The death of Ripudaman Singh Malik was mourned by some who remembered the 75-year-old fondly as the co-founder of the Khalsa School and Khalsa Credit Union.

Others who lost loved ones in the bombings – and who continue to suspect Malik was involved in the terrorist attack, which remains the worst mass murder in Canadian history – were left feeling numb.

"Do we get closure from what happened today? Not really," said Rob Alexander of the Air India Victims’ Family Association. "In the end, your loved one's not coming back. The harm's not coming undone, physically or emotionally or mentally."

Alexander's father, Dr. Matthew Alexander, was among the 329 people aboard Air India Flight 182 when it exploded midair on route from Canada to Mumbai.

"He was going to home to see his mother," Alexander said. "Never made it."

Another attempted bombing on a second flight out of Japan failed, but killed two baggage handlers. The victims' families spent decades hoping for justice, but only saw 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 lying repeatedly while testifying in the trial of Malik and his co-accused, Ajaib Singh Bagri, who were charged with mass murder and conspiracy. Both men were acquitted.

A FLAWED INVESTIGATION

Some surviving family members of Air India victims remained suspicious of Malik until his unexpected death on Thursday, when he was shot in Surrey's Newton neighbourhood, near 82 Avenue and 128 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, dragging on for 15 years before charges were laid. Two potential witnesses in the case were also killed.

Malik became an infamous figure within the Sikh community, spending decades under a cloud of suspicion and gossip, though he also had supporters. 

Speaking to CTV News hours after the shooting, Surrey resident Nerinder Kaur said she didn't know Malik, but her impression was that he had done much to promote education in the city. 

In a Facebook post, the deceased's son, Jaspreet Singh Malik, maintained that his father was falsely accused.

"My father's commitment was to his community and his family, and his goal was to see the immigrant Sikh community thrive," he wrote, adding that Malik was survived by his wife, five children, four daughters-in-law and eight grandchildren.

NO FURTHER RISK, POLICE SAY

The motivation for Malik's murder is unclear, but authorities have said they believe he was targeted.

“We are aware of Mr. Malik’s background," Sgt. 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 journalist with CK News Group, noted that Malik found new infamy in recent years by openly praising Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, amid the massive farmers' protests going on in that country.

Sahota stressed that it's too early to know whether Malik's politics or past played a part in his murder.

"It could be a business dispute," he added.

A suspect vehicle was found fully engulfed in flames not far from the shooting scene, near 82 Avenue and 122A Street, and is believed to be associated with the homicide.

Given the time and location of the killing – in the parking lot of a complex where Malik ran a business – IHIT investigators believe there are witnesses who have not spoken to police, and asked anyone with information or video relevant to the case to come forward.

One witness, who did not want to be named, told CTV News he heard three gunshots, and ran to find Malik slumped in the seat of a vehicle. The windshield was shattered.

"He was alive," the witness said. "He just had one shot on the neck, that's it."

He took Malik out of the car, called 911 and waited for emergency crews to arrive. Malik was pronounced dead at the scene.

REFLECTIONS AND LESSONS

Malik's death prompted reflection among many Canadians, including B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix, whose wife, Renée Sarojini Saklikar, lost relatives in the Air India attack.

"We're thinking of the families, of those who lost 82 children under the age of 12," Dix said. "The flight was in June – many people returning for holidays, or to see family – so we think of them today."

In the Air India trial, prosecutors alleged Malik was seeking revenge for the Indian government's 1984 raid of the Golden Temple as it tried to flush out armed militants from Sikhism's holiest place of worship in Amritsar.

Looking back on the Air India tragedy, Alexander said the lasting lesson of the bombings is that Canadians cannot be complacent when it comes to extremism.

"You can't think that it'll never happen in Canada because that was the attitude back in 1985," he said.

With files from CTV News Vancouver's Bhinder Sajan and Meagan Gill, and CTV National News's Candy Chan