Canada: What is the Ripudaman Singh murder case? Why was Hardeep Singh Nijjar a suspect?

The murder of Ripudaman Singh Malik, an accused in the 1985 Air India bombing, shocked the Canadian public in July 2022.

Since then, his assassination has become deeply entwined with historical events, political controversies, and religious factions within the Sikh community. As new details emerge, the involvement of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the saga has raised complex questions.

What is the Ripudaman Singh murder case?

On July 14, 2022, Ripudaman Singh Malik, 75, was gunned down outside his business in Surrey, British Columbia. Malik had been acquitted in 2005 of involvement in the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182, a terrorist attack carried out by pro-Khalistan extremists that killed 329 people.

The explosion, the worst aviation-related terrorist attack in Canadian history, was attributed to the Babbar Khalsa group. Malik was initially accused due to his alleged links with Talwinder Singh Parmar, the suspected mastermind of the attack.

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Tanner Fox and Jose Lopez, two men with known gang affiliations, were arrested for Malik’s murder on Monday. They pled guilty to second-degree murder, with their sentencing date set for October 31 this year.

Prosecutor Matthew Stacey revealed that the two men had been hired and paid to kill Malik but declined to disclose who had commissioned the murder. In dramatic courtroom scenes, Fox and Lopez even fought each other during their guilty plea, which required security to intervene.

Malik’s family expressed their grief in a statement, saying, “We lost our father, brother, husband, and grandfather as well as a tireless community leader.” They also stated that while Fox and Lopez had been apprehended, the “work remains incomplete” until the people behind the assassination are brought to justice.

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What is the Nijjar connection?

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the leader of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), who was himself assassinated in Surrey a year later, was at the centre of an escalating local feud involving Malik.

Malik had, in the months leading up to his murder, been targeted by Nijjar and other pro-Khalistan factions. Malik’s public praise for Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February 2022, where he lauded Modi’s efforts for the Sikh community, fuelled tensions further.

Malik had become an object of ridicule and opposition from Nijjar and his close associate Moninder Singh Boyle, former president of the Sri Dashmesh Darbar Gurdwara. Credible intelligence reports revealed that this animosity stemmed from Malik’s return to Canada in 2019 after visiting India, where he had been granted permission to print copies of the Sikh holy text, the Sri Guru Granth Sahib.

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This approval, given by the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC), angered Khalistani radicals like Nijjar, who accused Malik of distorting the holy book and labe;led him a “Quam ka Gaddar” (traitor to the Sikh community).

Nijjar and Boyle escalated the smear campaign against Malik by delivering public speeches and distributing pamphlets urging the community to boycott him socially. A high-profile speech by Nijjar on January 23, 2021, made direct calls to “teach Malik a lesson.”

This aggressive opposition coincided with rumours that Malik was under constant threat, a suspicion Malik himself voiced in media interviews.

Was Nijjar’s killing retaliation for Malik’s death?

On June 18, 2023, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in Surrey in what Canadian authorities initially considered a gang-related killing. However, former Canadian National Security Adviser Jody Thomas testified that Nijjar’s murder might have been an act of retaliation for Malik’s assassination. She explained that initial intelligence suggested that the two high-profile murders were connected.

“It [Nijjar’s killing] was the second high-profile murder in the same gurdwara,” Thomas stated. “Mr. Malik’s murder had occurred almost exactly a year before. The initial hypothesis was that it was a retaliation.”

The theory that Nijjar’s death was part of an ongoing cycle of revenge between rival Sikh factions has gained traction, particularly within intelligence circles.

However, despite these speculations, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an explosive claim in Parliament accusing the Indian government of orchestrating an “extra-judicial killing” of Nijjar. This accusation, based on intelligence provided by the Five Eyes alliance, has led to diplomatic tensions between India and Canada.

What is the diplomatic fallout?

Trudeau’s claims have worsened the already strained relations between Canada and India. India has denied any involvement in Nijjar’s killing, calling the allegations “absurd” and politically motivated.

New Delhi accused Trudeau of playing to his Sikh vote bank, while insisting that Canada has produced no evidence to support its claims.

Following these accusations, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, while India responded in kind by recalling its own envoys from Ottawa. Trudeau’s explosive speech, however, did little to address deeper issues surrounding the assassination of both Malik and Nijjar.

While the Malik family continues to demand answers regarding who hired Fox and Lopez, investigations into Nijjar’s murder also remain incomplete.

Adding to the landscape is the role of separatist organisations like Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), headed by dual-citizenship holder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who promoted the pro-Khalistan “Referendum 2020” campaign. Pannun had supported Nijjar, suggesting that he was being targeted for his political opinions. These claims, however, have not been substantiated by any evidence.

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With inputs from agencies