The son of a polarizing figure gunned down in an apparent targeted killing in Surrey, B.C., on Thursday is speaking out about his father’s legacy.
Ripudaman Singh Malik, 75, was shot dead in Surrey’s Newton Neighbourhood Thursday morning. Malik was one of two men acquitted in the 1985 Air India terrorist bombings that killed 331 people, most of them from Vancouver and Toronto.
In an interview with Global News Thursday, Jaspreet Malik maintained his father was wrongly accused.
Jaspreet said his father devoted his life to serving the community, helping found the Sikh-faith Khalsa schools and the Khalsa Credit Union, a co-operative aimed at keeping the community’s money in its own hands.
“I hear people say, oh, well, was it your father charged in the Air India? And yeah, he was he was wrongfully charged in Air India, but I think the important thing is if anybody’s ever read those 500 pages of that judgment, Mr. Justice (Bruce) Josephson says there is no evidence to connect him to any theory the Crown had about that bombing,” he said.
“The bigger part of his life was his community, his family and the legacy he’s left with. Khalsa schools, Khalsa Credit Union, five kids, eight grandkids.”
Jaspreet described his father as a man who valued education above all, and who taught him to understand he could be successful in mainstream Canadian culture while also retaining his Sikh faith, including his beard and turban.
He said while there were some “mumblings” his father should be careful immediately following the trial, the family had never lived in any fear of retaliation due to accusations about his role in the bombing.
The family, he said, was still struggling to accept Malik’s death.
“My daughter’s 11 years old. I have not told my daughter yet that her grandfather has passed away. I don’t even know how I’m supposed to explain that to her,” he said.
“That her grandfather, the person who’s always been telling her to study hard and work hard, she plays hockey, is always pushing her keep keep excelling at your hockey and get straight A’s. Those are the two things I want for you. How do I explain this to her? I mean, we’re struggling.”
The Lower Mainland’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said Thursday it has yet to determine a motive in Malik’s killing, but that “the shooting appears targeted.”
Anyone who witnessed the shooting or who was travelling or shot video in the area of 122 Street and 82 Avenue between 9:15 a.m. and 10 a.m. is asked to contact IHIT at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at ihitinfo@rcmp-grc.gc.ca.