Mahendra Hembram, one of the convicts in the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons, after release from jail. Photo: Special Arrangement
After 25 years of incarceration, Mahendra Hembram, one of the convicts in the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons, was released from Odisha’s Keonjhar jail, 200 km from here, on grounds of “good behaviour” on Wednesday.
Hembram was involved in setting fire to the van in which the missionary and his two minor sons were sleeping on January 22, 1999. His release was recommended by the Odisha State Sentence Review Board, and the Keonjhar jail authorities maintained that it was carried out in accordance with the law.
Meanwhile, Dara Singh, the prime convict in the case, remains in jail. A campaign for Singh’s release had earlier received support from Mohan Majhi, now the Chief Minister, during his tenure as the Keonjhar MLA.
Hembram, who was 25 at the time, was part of the mob involved in the murders that had shocked the conscience of humanity across the world. Now 50, he was garlanded upon his release, as his supporters raised slogans of “Jai Shri Ram”.
Between 1999 and 2000, a total of 51 people were arrested in connection with the case. Of them, 37 were acquitted during the initial trial. Fourteen individuals, including Dara Singh and Hembram, were convicted by a designated Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court. Later, the Orissa High Court acquitted 11 more.
The sentences handed down ranged from 14 years in prison to capital punishment. Dara Singh’s death sentence was eventually commuted to life imprisonment. Chenchu Hansdah, a juvenile at the time of the incident, was released in 2008 following an appeal.
Published – April 17, 2025 12:10 am IST
