Mahendra Hembram, one of two Hindu militants jailed for the killing of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons in 1999, was released from prison on 16 April. Now aged 50, he was greeted by supporters who garlanded him and chanted the Hindu slogan, “Jai Shri Ram [Hail lord Rama]” as he posed for photographs with prison officials.
“Now that I am set free, let’s see how things unfold. I will chalk out how to spend the rest of my life,” stated Hembram, a close aide of Dara Singh who remains in prison serving a life sentence after being convicted of leading the attack on the Staines family who were burnt to death as they slept in a station wagon.
Prison officials stated that “Hembram has been released following a decision by the State Sentence Review Board. He has been released after 25 years because of good behaviour in accordance with the rules.”
On his release, Hembram told reporters, “I spent 25 years in jail after being falsely implicated in an incident related to religious conversion. Today, I have been released.” However, during his trial, he declared himself the sole culprit and claimed that others were innocent, according to court records.
Background
In January 1999, Graham Staines, a 58 year-old Australian Missionary, attended a prayer meeting at Manoharpur village in the eastern Indian state of Orissa (now known as Odisha). After the meeting, he went back to his jeep which was parked outside the small Baptist church and settled down to sleep for the night, together with his two sons, Philip (10) and Timothy (8). During the night , a mob of about 100 people came in to the village. Some stood guard while others set the jeep ablaze. As the vehicle burned, it was reported that the mob danced and shouted “justice has been done; the Christians have been cremated in Hindu fashion”. Graham’s body was found in the rear seat, clutching Timothy while Philip’s body was found in the front seat. The two boys were visiting their parents in India during their school holidays from Australia.
An estimated 10,000 people attended their funeral where Graham’s widow, Gladys, and 13 year-old daughter, Esther, led the congregation in singing, “Because He lives, I can face tomorrow”. Many people paid tribute to Graham’s life of service – he had worked with leprosy patients in India for 34 years.
Reaction To Release
Kedar Dash, a leader in Vishva Hindu Parishad (an organisation connected to India’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party) said: “It is a good day for us. We welcome the government’s decision.”
However, Manickam Tagore, a Congress MP, stated “A hate-fuelled murderer who burned alive Graham Staines and his two little sons is now walking free. Mahendra Hembram’s release is a celebration for Sanghis, but a dark stain on Indian justice. What message does this send?”
Ajay Singh, a Catholic priest and a human rights activist in Odisha said, “The way Hembram was welcomed with garlands and taken on a celebration procession by a crowd shouting Hindu slogans was a shocking sight for anybody believing in peace and tranquillity of a society.”
John Dayal, spokesperson for the United Christian Forum, was equally shocked saying, “The obscene welcome accorded to the convict on his release was to be seen to be believed, and totally exposes the politics of the release,”
Mervyn Thomas, Founder President of Christian Solidarity Worldwide said: ‘”Mr Hembram committed a heinous crime. The elation surrounding his release and the approval by the VHP is very concerning. This outcome is objectionable, particularly in the current climate in India where religious minorities are subjected to targeted attacks that have become both more frequent and deadly.”
Subhankar Ghosh, personal assistant to Gladys Staines (now aged 74) and her spokesperson in Odisha, stated: “Mahendra is a reformed man now. He has already repented for his crime. Raking up the past will serve no purpose. We must hate the sin but not the sinner. Sinners have changed and God has forgiven them.”
Dara Singh’s Appeal
Dara Singh, the leader of the attack on Graham Staines, has also appealed for early release from his life sentence. His lawyer stated that “after 24 years of incarceration he has repented of consequences of actions taken in a fit of youthful rage. In the fervour of youth, fuelled by impassioned reactions to the brutal history of India, the petitioner’s psyche momentarily lost restraint”.
Singh is also serving concurrent life sentences for the separate murders of a Muslim trader and a Catholic priest, the Rev. Arul Das. The appeal case is due to be heard in early May.
(Morning Star News, ETV Bharat, India Today, The Telegraph)