In Depth
Air India
Evidence - Part 2
Plotted in plain sight?
Updated April 30, 2007
Terry Milewski, CBC News
The CSIS wiretaps
CSIS erased hundreds of Parmar wiretaps — and most of those were erased after the bombing, so the RCMP complained that valuable evidence had been destroyed — but the translators' notes survived. These formed the basis for the RCMP's own application to wiretap the suspects.
The application was supported by an affidavit by Const. Gary Clark-Marlow. He describes secretive behaviour by Parmar in earlier CSIS wiretaps:
Const. Clark-Marlow gives an example, showing Parmar speaking to a J. Singh in Germany who proposes to murder Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi if Parmar gives the word:
Parmar promises to send instructions:
No ambassadors have been killed
CSIS was not the only agency watching Sikh militants before the bombing.
Const. Clark-Marlowe's affidavit also describes a meeting of Sikh militants monitored by Vancouver police, 11 days before the bombing. It quotes a leader of the International Sikh Youth Federation as complaining that no Indian consuls or ambassadors have been killed.
(Deletions shown are by the court in the Air India trial, where the affidavit was disclosed.)
Booking the tickets
The RCMP affidavit also describes suspicious phone calls by Parmar at the time the Air India tickets were booked:
Then, someone using Johal's old phone number made the reservations:
But Johal did call Parmar back and ask him to come and "read the story." It was not something he wanted to discuss on the phone.
The RCMP officer then draws this conclusion:
Two days later, the day before the bombs were loaded, Johal speaks to Reyat:
On the following morning — the morning the bombs were loaded — Reyat is seen in Burnaby, buying batteries. Const. Clark-Marlowe adds:
The officer says Reyat later called home from Johal's house:
Later, Johal talks to Parmar again:
And there's another call to Reyat's home:
The following day, Parmar watches news of the bombing on CBC:
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