The shocking murder of Ripudaman Singh Malik, an accused in the infamous 1985 Air India bombing, sent ripples through the Canadian public when he was gunned down outside his business in Surrey, British Columbia, on July 14, 2022. Malik, 75, had been acquitted in 2005 of involvement in the terrorist attack that claimed 329 lives and was linked to pro-Khalistan extremists. His assassination is now entangled in a web of historical events, political strife, and tensions within the Sikh community, especially regarding the role of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Following Malik’s murder, Tanner Fox and Jose Lopez, both with known gang affiliations, were arrested and later pled guilty to second-degree murder. Prosecutor Matthew Stacey disclosed that they had been hired to kill Malik but refrained from revealing who commissioned the assassination. During their guilty plea, a dramatic altercation between the two required intervention from security. Malik’s family expressed their profound loss, emphasizing that justice remains incomplete without the true orchestrators behind the assassination.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, leader of the Khalistan Tiger Force, was involved in an escalating feud with Malik leading up to his own murder in June 2023. The animosity arose from Malik’s public support for Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the approval he received to print copies of the Sikh holy text, which angered pro-Khalistani factions. After Nijjar was shot dead, Canadian authorities speculated that his killing could have been retaliatory for Malik’s assassination. However, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s explosive claims in Parliament, accusing the Indian government of orchestrating Nijjar’s murder, have severely strained diplomatic relations between Canada and India, with both nations expelling diplomats amidst ongoing investigations. The Malik family continues to seek answers while the ramifications of these events echo through the international community.
