Political killing in Canada

THE targeted killing of Ripudaman Singh Malik, who was acquitted in the 1985 Air India Kanishka bombing case due to lack of evidence, has turned the spotlight on the radical and criminal elements in Canada’s Indian community who continue to make their presence felt. Malik had been in the news in recent years over his visit to India after the NDA government struck his name off the blacklist of Sikhs living abroad and issued him a visa. In January this year, he had written to PM Modi, thanking him for addressing long-pending Sikh demands, including the grant of passports and visas to asylees and their families and the reopening of cases pertaining to the 1984 riots. Malik’s surprise overtures to India’s ruling party might have riled the anti-BJP and anti-India groups within the community.

The Kanishka bombing, which claimed 329 lives, remains a blot on Canada’s conscience. In 2010, a probe panel led by a retired judge of the Supreme Court, Justice John C. Major, had concluded that a ‘cascading series of errors’ by the Canadian Government, the police and the intelligence service had allowed the terror attack to take place. The investigation and the trial were reduced to a sham as only one person, Inderjit Singh Reyat, was convicted. On the whole, it was a glaring case of denial of justice to the victims’ families.

Canada’s apparently soft stance on religious secessionists is seen as a major reason why there is no closure for these families even 37 years after the tragedy. Now it seems that the chickens have come home to roost. The growing menace of Punjab-origin gangsters operating from Canadian soil has been underscored by the recent murder of singer Sidhu Moosewala. Some of these gangs are known for their pro-Khalistan and anti-India leanings. The onus is on Canada to crack the whip on these troublemakers and reaffirm its commitment to fighting terrorism and curbing violence in any form. Canada can no longer afford to be perceived as being lenient towards such groups, who are no mere fringe players and can cause serious damage to Canadian and Indian interests.

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