Keonjhar: Mahendra Hembram, a convict in the 1999 high-profile triple murder case of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons, was released from Keonjhar jail in Odisha on Wednesday, after serving 25 years.
Shri Hembram, now 50 years old, was released from prison due to good behavior during his incarceration.
“Hembram has been released following a decision by the State Sentence Review Board. The prison directorate informed about it in a letter on Tuesday. He has been released after 25 years because of good behaviour in accordance with the rules,” said Jailer Manaswini Naik.
Mahendra, a convict in the 1999 triple murder case of Australian Missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, was released from Keonjhar jail in Odisha on Wednesday, after serving 25 years.
Details of Release
- Hembram, now 50 years old, was released due to good behavior during his incarceration.
- Jailer Manaswini Naik stated that the release followed a decision by the State Sentence Review Board, with the prison directorate issuing a release letter on Tuesday.
- Jail authorities gave Shri Hembram a cordial farewell, and he was given a bank passbook containing his earnings from prison labor.
- Upon his release, Shri Hembram claimed he was falsely implicated in a case related to religious conversion.
The 1999 Incident:
- Hembram and Dara Singh (alias Rabindra Pal Singh) were convicted of the murders of Graham Staines and his sons, Philip (10) and Timothy (6).
- The victims were burned alive on the night of January 21, 1999, in Manoharpur village, Keonjhar district.
- The attack was allegedly carried out by a mob led by Dara Singh.
- The Staines were sleeping in a station wagon in front of a church when they were attacked.
- It was alleged that straw used to keep them warm caught fire, and the mob prevented their escape.
Legal Proceedings:
- A total of 14 people were accused, but 12 were acquitted.
- Mahendra was arrested in 1999, and Dara Singh was arrested on January 31, 2000.
- Hembram was sentenced to life imprisonment on September 22, 2003.
- He was held in several jails before being transferred to Keonjhar Jail on September 28, 2011.
- During the trial, Hembram reportedly claimed sole responsibility for the crime, stating others were innocent.
- The trial concluded on August 18, 2003.
- Dara Singh was initially sentenced to death, but the Orissa High Court commuted it to life imprisonment in 2005, a decision upheld by the Supreme Court.
- Dara Singh has filed mercy petitions in the Supreme Court and with the President of India.
- On March 19, 2025, the Supreme Court directed the Odisha government to decide on Dara Singh’s remission plea.