Tara Singh Hayer
Encyclopedia
Tara Singh Hayer, OBC
(November 15, 1936–November 18, 1998) was a Sikh
Canadian
newspaper publisher who was murder
ed.
Hayer was born in Paddi Jagir, a small village in Punjab, India. He emigrated to Canada
in 1970, where he worked as a miner, teacher, truck-driver, manager of a trucking firm, and journalist before establishing a community newspaper, the Indo-Canadian Times, in 1978.
Hayer initially supported a theocratic sectarian-based Sikh
homeland called Khalistan
in the Punjab region in India but after the continuous terrorist acts against non-Sikhs in Punjab and then the later bombing of Air India Flight 182
, Hayer began to speak out against violence in the Sikh separatist movement.
In August 1988, he survived an attempt on his life that left him in a wheelchair
.
In 1992, he was honored with the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canada and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
(RCMP). Among his other awards, Mr. Hayer received the Journalist Award by the Municipality of Surrey
for courageous and outstanding contribution to Punjabi Journalism in Canada, and the International Award of Distinction for Journalism from the International Association of Punjabi Authors and Artists. In 1995, he received the Order of British Columbia
.
On October 15, 1995, Hayer gave an affidavit
to the RCMP regarding a 1985 meeting in London
, England
in the offices of the Punjabi-language newspaper Desh Pardesh, where he overheard a conversation between Tarsem Singh Purewal, the editor of Desh Pardesh, and accused bomber Ajaib Singh Bagri. According to Hayer:
On January 24 of the same year, Purewal was killed near the offices of Desh Pardesh, leaving Hayer as the only other witness.
On November 18, 1998, Hayer was shot to death, execution-style, while getting out of his car in the garage of his home in Surrey
. His statement is now inadmissible as evidence
in court and was later cited as a reason why the suspects in the bombing were eventually acquitted in 2005.
In 1999, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
renamed its Press Freedom Award the "Tara Singh Hayer Press Freedom Award" in Hayer's honour. Each year, the award is given to a Canadian journalist
who, through his or her work, has made an important contribution to reinforcing and promoting the principle of freedom of the press
in Canada or elsewhere. In 2000 journalist Gordon Donaldson
added Hayer to the Canadian News Hall of Fame
. He was the first Canadian of neither English nor French origin to be added to the Hall.
In Loss of Faith, a book written by Vancouver Sun reporter Kim Bolan
, Bolan suggests that Hayer's murder might have preventable. Bolan argues that the RCMP ignored or bungled the numerous clues that suggested the 1988 attempt on his life was part of a larger conspiracy. Bolan also argues that the RCMP's attempts to penetrate radical Sikh organizations brought the police up “against powerful people with connections to the highest political levels in Canada.” The National Post noted that in December 1998, just a month after Hayer’s funeral, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
appeared at a fundraising dinner attended by Ripudaman Singh Malik and various other Flight 182 suspects.
Order of British Columbia
The Order of British Columbia is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Instituted in 1989 by Lieutenant Governor David Lam, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier Bill Vander Zalm, the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to honour...
(November 15, 1936–November 18, 1998) was a Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
newspaper publisher who was murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed.
Hayer was born in Paddi Jagir, a small village in Punjab, India. He emigrated to Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
in 1970, where he worked as a miner, teacher, truck-driver, manager of a trucking firm, and journalist before establishing a community newspaper, the Indo-Canadian Times, in 1978.
Hayer initially supported a theocratic sectarian-based Sikh
Sikh
A Sikh is a follower of Sikhism. It primarily originated in the 15th century in the Punjab region of South Asia. The term "Sikh" has its origin in Sanskrit term शिष्य , meaning "disciple, student" or शिक्ष , meaning "instruction"...
homeland called Khalistan
Khalistan
Khalistan refers to a global political secessionist movement to create a separate Sikh state, called Khālistān , carved out of parts mostly consisting of the Punjab region of India, depending on definition....
in the Punjab region in India but after the continuous terrorist acts against non-Sikhs in Punjab and then the later bombing of Air India Flight 182
Air India Flight 182
Air India Flight 182 was an Air India flight operating on the Montreal–London–Delhi route. On 23 June 1985, the airplane operating on the route a Boeing 747-237B named after Emperor Kanishka was blown up by a bomb at an altitude of , and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while in Irish airspace.A...
, Hayer began to speak out against violence in the Sikh separatist movement.
In August 1988, he survived an attempt on his life that left him in a wheelchair
Wheelchair
A wheelchair is a chair with wheels, designed to be a replacement for walking. The device comes in variations where it is propelled by motors or by the seated occupant turning the rear wheels by hand. Often there are handles behind the seat for someone else to do the pushing...
.
In 1992, he was honored with the Commemorative Medal for the 125th Anniversary of Canada and a Certificate of Appreciation from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police , literally ‘Royal Gendarmerie of Canada’; colloquially known as The Mounties, and internally as ‘The Force’) is the national police force of Canada, and one of the most recognized of its kind in the world. It is unique in the world as a national, federal,...
(RCMP). Among his other awards, Mr. Hayer received the Journalist Award by the Municipality of Surrey
Surrey, British Columbia
Surrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
for courageous and outstanding contribution to Punjabi Journalism in Canada, and the International Award of Distinction for Journalism from the International Association of Punjabi Authors and Artists. In 1995, he received the Order of British Columbia
Order of British Columbia
The Order of British Columbia is a civilian honour for merit in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Instituted in 1989 by Lieutenant Governor David Lam, on the advice of the Cabinet under Premier Bill Vander Zalm, the order is administered by the Governor-in-Council and is intended to honour...
.
On October 15, 1995, Hayer gave an affidavit
Affidavit
An affidavit is a written sworn statement of fact voluntarily made by an affiant or deponent under an oath or affirmation administered by a person authorized to do so by law. Such statement is witnessed as to the authenticity of the affiant's signature by a taker of oaths, such as a notary public...
to the RCMP regarding a 1985 meeting in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in the offices of the Punjabi-language newspaper Desh Pardesh, where he overheard a conversation between Tarsem Singh Purewal, the editor of Desh Pardesh, and accused bomber Ajaib Singh Bagri. According to Hayer:
- "Bagri stayed talking to Purewal for about 1 hour during which time the subject of the Air India Flight 182Air India Flight 182Air India Flight 182 was an Air India flight operating on the Montreal–London–Delhi route. On 23 June 1985, the airplane operating on the route a Boeing 747-237B named after Emperor Kanishka was blown up by a bomb at an altitude of , and crashed into the Atlantic Ocean while in Irish airspace.A...
bombing came up. Purewal asked Bagri how he managed to do that. Bagri replied that they (the Babbar KhalsaBabbar KhalsaBabbar Khalsa , also known as Babbar Khalsa International , is a Sikh armed organisation based in India. Many consider the Babbar Khalsa a Resistance movement, and it played a prominent role in the Punjab insurgency. Babbar Khalsa International was created in 1978, after a number of Sikhs were...
) wanted the government of India to come on their knees and give them Khalistan. Bagri then said that if everything would have gone as planned the plane would have blown up at Heathrow airport with no passengers on it. But because the flight was a half hour or three quarters of an hour late, it blew up over the ocean. Purewal then asked how he managed to have the bomb inside the plane. Bagri said that when the device was ready, Surjan Singh Gill was supposed to take it to the airport but when it was ready and it was shown to him, he got scared and resigned from the Babbar Khalsa. Bagri then suggested to Talwinder Singh Parmar that they should kill Surjan Singh Gill but Parmar said no because that would bring suspicion on them and so they just warned Gill not to say anything. Bagri then said that he got someone else to take the bomb inside a suitcase to the Vancouver airportVancouver International AirportVancouver International Airport is located on Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia, Canada, about from Downtown Vancouver. In 2010 it was the second busiest airport in Canada by aircraft movements and passengers , behind Toronto Pearson International Airport, with non-stop flights daily to...
and put it on the plane."
On January 24 of the same year, Purewal was killed near the offices of Desh Pardesh, leaving Hayer as the only other witness.
On November 18, 1998, Hayer was shot to death, execution-style, while getting out of his car in the garage of his home in Surrey
Surrey, British Columbia
Surrey is a city in the province of British Columbia, Canada. It is a member municipality of Metro Vancouver, the governing body of the Greater Vancouver Regional District...
. His statement is now inadmissible as evidence
Rules of evidence
Rules of evidence govern whether, when, how, and for what purpose, proof of a legal case may be placed before a trier of fact for consideration....
in court and was later cited as a reason why the suspects in the bombing were eventually acquitted in 2005.
In 1999, Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression
Canadian Journalists for Free Expression is a Canadian non-governmental organization supported by Canadian journalists and advocates of freedom of expression. The purpose of the organization is to defend the rights of journalists and contribute to the development of press freedom throughout the...
renamed its Press Freedom Award the "Tara Singh Hayer Press Freedom Award" in Hayer's honour. Each year, the award is given to a Canadian journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
who, through his or her work, has made an important contribution to reinforcing and promoting the principle of freedom of the press
Freedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
in Canada or elsewhere. In 2000 journalist Gordon Donaldson
Gordon Donaldson (journalist)
Archibald Gordon Clark Donaldson was a Scottish-Canadian author and journalist. He appeared on television and also produced television programming.- Early life :...
added Hayer to the Canadian News Hall of Fame
Canadian News Hall of Fame
The Canadian News Hall of Fame is a museum that honours individuals who have made an outstanding contribution to journalism in Canada. The Hall of Fame is operated under the auspices of the Toronto Press Club and is housed within the Ontario Club at 30 Wellington St. W. in Toronto...
. He was the first Canadian of neither English nor French origin to be added to the Hall.
In Loss of Faith, a book written by Vancouver Sun reporter Kim Bolan
Kim Bolan
Kim Bolan has been a reporter at The Vancouver Sun since her journalism career began in 1984.Bolan has reported on minority, women’s, education, and social services issues; wars in El Salvador, Guatemala and Afghanistan; Sikh extremism, and the bombing and trials related to Air India Flight 182.CBC...
, Bolan suggests that Hayer's murder might have preventable. Bolan argues that the RCMP ignored or bungled the numerous clues that suggested the 1988 attempt on his life was part of a larger conspiracy. Bolan also argues that the RCMP's attempts to penetrate radical Sikh organizations brought the police up “against powerful people with connections to the highest political levels in Canada.” The National Post noted that in December 1998, just a month after Hayer’s funeral, Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien
Jean Chrétien
Joseph Jacques Jean Chrétien , known commonly as Jean Chrétien is a former Canadian politician who was the 20th Prime Minister of Canada. He served in the position for over ten years, from November 4, 1993 to December 12, 2003....
appeared at a fundraising dinner attended by Ripudaman Singh Malik and various other Flight 182 suspects.