Exclusive | Did Pak-Backed Khalistanis Kill Ripudaman Singh Malik Over Plan to Expose Them in July 20 Interview?

Was Ripudaman Singh Malik, acquitted of the murder and conspiracy charges in 2005 in connection with the bombing of an Air India flight in 1985, shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada, on Thursday morning over his plan to expose Pakistan-backed Khalistanis in an interview on July 20?

CNN-News18 has exclusively accessed the intelligence note, which hints at concerted efforts to use “unfair” means to scare voices that dare to align with India.

According to top intelligence sources, there are doubts on whether the case will get a fair investigation.

THE INTEL NOTE STATES

Malik was the founder of the Khalsa Credit Union and Khalsa School. He was soon to start Khalsa College for which he had invited Akal Takht Jathedar.

Three weeks ago, the Jathedar was to visit him for three days to lay the foundation of the Khalsa College. But Malik’s critics started to threaten with gherao. The visit was then cancelled.

Malik was clear not to allow the Jathedar to use his school or college stage to speak against India, said top intelligence sources.

After the visit was cancelled following threats by a group of Khalistanis, Malik spoke on a talk show with journalist Kuldip Singh on Sanjha TV and exposed how these anti-India elements are also enemies of Sikhs.

He named Moninder Boyle and Hardeep Nijjer, calling them “bullish”. He also said that “these people were obviously working at the behest of some agencies of foreign government, referring to Pakistan”.

Fed up of the constant harassment, Malik had decided to expose them in a series of interviews.

He had scheduled his first such interview with Kuldip Singh on Sanjha TV on July 20.

HAD PRAISED PM MODI, WAS CALLED ?KAUM DA GADDAR?

On January 17, Malik had written a detailed letter to PM Modi, praising him for taking initiatives to redress the long-pending grievances of Sikhs. The letter rattled anti-India elements.

Using the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple’s stage in Surrey, Hardip Nijjer, on January 23, spoke against Malik for over one hour, calling him “kaum da gaddaar”, “agent” etc. and called upon the gathering to boycott Malik and teach him a lesson.

Others who launched a scathing campaign against Malik are Moninder Boyle, Gurpreet Singh Sahota, a journalist working for Satinder Pal Gill and Parry Dulay at the ‘Punjabi Channel’, said intelligence sources.

Pamphlets against Malik were also distributed in the area.

A few years ago, Malik had started to print copies of the Sri Guru Granth Sahib after obtaining written permission from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. The permission was later revoked.

Taking advantage of the situation, the Khalistani groups had stormed his place where the printed versions of the holy book were kept and took away all the copies.

THE 1985 CASE

Malik was a suspect in the Air India Flight 182 bombing case, where he was named a part of the Khalistan separatists’ group from British Columbia that planted suitcase bombs on Air India Flight 182, which killed 327 people when it exploded over the Atlantic off the coast of southern Ireland. Two baggage handlers also died when another bomb, which made its way into the Tokyo International Airport, exploded. The bomb reached Tokyo through Canadian Pacific Flight 003 and was in transit for Air India Flight 301 to Bangkok.

The bombings were a retaliatory move to the 1984 anti-Sikh pogroms and the Operation Bluestar launched by then prime minister Indira Gandhi to remove the Khalistan terrorists hiding inside the Golden Temple Amritsar in June 1984.

This was the deadliest terror attack in recent history until the September 2001 attacks.

In 2003, Inderjit Reyat, from Vancouver Island, was convicted for manslaughter in both the bombings. He was a separatist and a member of the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) which supported the Khalistan movement.

(With inputs from Vancouver Sun, the Guardian and CBC)

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