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If I Knew The Murderer, I Would Gladly Collect the $30,000 Reward: Inderjit Singh

Arthur J Pais

At a first encounter, Inderjit Singh seems to be an earthy truck driver, who loves to talk about his passion for Sikh radicalism. He is also eager to talk about his children, and how he wants to provide the very best for their education, so that they can grow up to have a career far different from his own. Singh, apart from owning a truck, also drives a cab in Edmonton.

But the police in Vancouver, whose men met with Singh recently before announcing that he is being interviewed in the murder of publisher and editor Tara Singh Hayer, are discovering that the hefty, 38-year-old driver could outsmart them.

Hayer, once a Khalistani supporter had turned against the militants and had used his Punjabi-language newspaper, Indo-Canadian Times, to run them down.

The police were surprised that Singh had even tape-recorded the first meeting a police detective had with him on June 17. Though the revelation made by Singh on Monday does not alter the facts of the Investigation, police officials were clearly taken by surprise that he had secretly taped the interview with Dan Russell.

In the interview, Singh boldly discovers that if he knew who killed Hayer, he would "gladly collect the $30,000 reward rather than wake up at 5 am every day" to drive his dump truck.

Singh told reporters that he was prepared for the interview as he had heard from his associates with the International Sikh Youth Federation that the police were asking questions about him. He had also been told by his relatives in India that the Canadian police had sought to get information about him through the police in Punjab.

According to the transcripts of the tape, officer Russell tells Singh that "we have some information that has come to light in the last six months that you have direct knowledge or that you were involved in the murder of Mr Hayer."

Singh goes on to tell Russell that he was hauling snow on November 17 and 18, some 700 miles from Vancouver where Hayer was murdered. Hayer was slain on November 18.

According to the tape, Russell says: "We have information, and we have been working on this a long time. I am 100 per cent confident that you have some information in regards to that murder you are not telling us."

When Singh denies his role, Russell says, "I don't believe you. I don't believe you for one minute, alright?... I have specific information about you alone, okay?"

Singh believes that the police are after him because he sent a nasty fax to Hayer the week he was murdered. He says he was upset with Hayer because the publisher has been writing critical articles against the then Sikh high priest, Ranjit Singh, who had ex-communicated Hayer.

Singh is going to take a lie-detector test next week. Meanwhile, several Sikh drivers -- all members of the ISYF -- are asserting that Inderjit Singh was hauling snow with them on the night of the murder.

But Edmonton newspapers quoted truck driver Terry Kolwich, who had worked beside Inderjit Singh's own truck on July 18, that he cannot say for certain that he saw Inderjit Singh.

"For me, they all seem the same," Kolwich said. "Until you get to know them, you can't tell the difference." Inderjit Singh wears a turban and has a flourishing beard.

Inderjit Singh insists that he was the only one to drive his truck because of the insurance regulations.

"That does not mean that he went by the rule of law," said a moderate Sikh leader in Vancouver.

As for Inderjit Singh saying that he could turn in the murderer if he knew who it was, one liberal Sikh said: "He surely is joking. Otherwise, you mean he will turn in his buddies, the he people he admires so much?"

His friend, who also asked not to mention his name, joined: "Of course, he can't turn in the murderer and collect the award."

He paused for a second, "You don't turn yourself to collect the award, do you?"

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