A judge's decision to acquit two Sikh men on charges of conspiracy and murder in the 1985 Air India bombing has divided the province's Sikh community.

Justice Ian Bruce Josephson's ruling that Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri are not guilty of conspiracy and murder in the downing of Flight 182 and a bomb that killed two baggage handlers at Japan's Narita Airport was the hot topic among Sikhs in B.C.'s lower mainland, where the two men lived and worked.

At the moderate Guru Nanak temple, the verdict was a hotly discussed topic. Sadhu Samra, vice-president of the temple, said the ruling didn't bring closure.

"My question is that if they are not guilty, then who did it?" said Samra.

At the more conservative Singh Sabha temple, where Malik has been a financial donor, the viewpoint shifted.

"From the day one, it was in my mind, [they] are innocent," said Joginder Sidhu.

People at the temple where Bagri worshipped before he was arrested wouldn't publicly comment, while people at Surrey's Khalsa school, founded and run by Malik, didn't offer any comment. Security guards at the school quickly escorted media off the property.

A B.C. representative of the World Sikh Organization is hoping the province's Sikh community can move beyond the Air India verdicts.

Gian Singh Sandhu says the 20-year investigation has created rifts in the community, but he believes time will heal the split.

"I don't think it will happen overnight," said Sandhu. "But I think the community will get past that and build on relationships."