By Mata Press Service

Vancouver millionaire Ripudaman Singh Malik, who was accused and then acquitted in the bombing of the Air India flight 182 has been told he is not welcome in his homeland.
Indian government sources in Ottawa and New Delhi confirmed that Malik had applied for a visa recently to visit India and his ancestral home on Jhoke Road in Ferozepur, Punjab but that application was denied.
No official reason was give, but it is understood that the Indian government views Malik as an influential player in the Khalistani separatist movement, which has a strong base of support in Metro Vancouver.
Malik was accused in the bombing of the Air India flight 182 from Canada to Delhi near the Irish coast June 23, 1985, killing all 329 people on board. The bombing was blamed on Khalistani extremists seeking to avenge the storming of the Golden Temple by the Indian army in 1984.
But Malik and fellow suspect Ajaib Singh Bagri of Kamloops were acquitted in 2005 after a lengthy criminal trial.
Both Malik and Bagri were on a black list of 169 Sikhs including many in Canada banned from entering India.
Last month, acting on the repeated pleas of the Punjab government, New Delhi removed 142 names, including Malik and Bagri, out of 169 on the ‘black-list’.
After the delisting, Punjab’s Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said the government’s move will enable those on the list to move freely around the world and even return home.
Malik made his visa application at the Indian consulate in Vancouver after the delisting claiming he was free to travel to India.
Officials at the Indian consulate in Vancouver refused comment citing privacy concerns.
It is understood that Malik may be filing a legal challenge to the visa denial in India.
During the Air India trial, the court heard that Malik belongs to Babbar Khalsa, a terrorist outfit responsible for many terrorist incidents in Punjab.
He was also a close associate of Talwinder Singh Parmar, who headed one of the Babbar Khalsa factions before being killed by the Punjab Police in 1992.
Malik, came to Canada in 1972 and started off as a cab driver to later become a wealthy businessman.
He later opened an import clothing store and slowly built up assets until he became a driving force behind the Vancouver-area Khalsa Credit Union. The institution now has 16,000 members and assets worth $110 million.
Malik also is one of the founders of the Khalsa School in Vancouver.
Last month, former Canadian health minister Ujjal Dosanjh said he will challenge Malik in court to answer direct questions about his role in the Air India plot that killed 329 people, after Malik filed a lawsuit against Dosanjh.
In his lawsuit, Malik has alleged that Dosanjh made damaging statements against him during the recent campaign for parliament elections.
“After I was acquitted, some members of the press and public continued to believe I was guilty. I have tried not to respond every time someone said I was guilty. However, I cannot allow my name to continue to be harmed,’’ Malik said in a statement after filing the lawsuit against Dosanjh.
Ripudaman Singh Malik, who was acquitted in the Air India bombing, is suing former Liberal MP Ujjal Dosanjh for defamation.
In a press release issued to the public, Malik added “during the election campaign Ujjal Dosanjh continued to make untrue and damaging statements about me,” and that he has filed a lawsuit for “the comments he made and a flyer he distributed during the election.”
Malik lawsuits stemmed from allegations by Dosanjh that Malik, as a director of the charitable Khalsa Schools, had endorsed the Conservative candidate in Vancouver South, Wai Young, who was running against Dosanjh in the recent federal election.
But Dosanjh responded, saying that a civil trial has actually offered him an opportunity to pin down Malik for his role in the bombing plot.
“The (civil) trial of this action (Malik’s lawsuit) will shed more light on how this heinous crime, originating from Canadian soil, was planned and carried out - killing 329 Canadians. My further hope is, that in the process, the families of the victims of Air India may achieve at least partial closure to this tragedy,’’ Dosanjh said in a statement.
He said, “Mr. Malik did not testify in the Air India criminal trial as he was able to hide behind the right to remain silent. However, now, in this civil trial, Mr. Malik will be forced to answer all relevant questions.
“For the first time, Mr. Malik will have no immunity from being questioned in court about his relationship to the Air India bombing or the perpetrators themselves.
“I will challenge Mr. Malik every step of the way with questions regarding the extent of his involvement with and connection to Air India and the known conspirators.’’
Dosanjh lost in the last parliamentary election.

MEMORIAL MEETING

A PUBLIC MEETING IN THE MEMORY OF THE AIR INDIA BOMBINGS VICTIMS WILL BE HELD AT THE NEWTON ARENA, 7120, 136 B STREET, SURREY B.C.  ON JUNE 26, 2011 AT 2:30 PM. IT IS BEING ORGANISED BY THE INDO CANADIAN WORKERS’ ASSOCIATION (ICWA). WHILE THE ICWA WELCOMES THE PUBLIC INQUIRY THAT WAS ORDERED BY THE CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER, STEPHEN HARPER IT STRONGLY DEMANDS THAT ALL THE CULPRITS INVOLVED IN THE CONSPIRACY BE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE.