Key witness in Air India trial accused of lying

Airline Industry Information, Nov 19, 2003

AIRLINE INDUSTRY INFORMATION-(C)1997-2003 M2 COMMUNICATIONS LTD

A key witness in the trial of the 1985 Air India bombing has reportedly been accused of lying in her testimony.

The woman testified that one of the accused told her he had played a role in the bombing of flight 182, which killed 329 people. The woman claimed that Ripudaman Singh Malik gave her details of a plan to attack two Air India jets when she confronted him in 1996 about reports that he had been involved, and stated that Malik had said "We had Air India crashed" and "Nobody, I mean nobody, can do anything. It's all for Sikhism".

Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri are charged with murder over the 23 June 1985 bombing of Air India flight 182 which killed 329 people, and an attempt to destroy another Air India aircraft, which killed two Tokyo airport workers, reported Reuters.

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