Supporters chant ‘Jai Sri Ram’ as Graham Staines’ murder convict walks free after 25 years

Mahendra Hembram, one of the convicts in the brutal killing of Australian Christian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons in 1999, was released from Odisha’s Keonjhar jail on Wednesday after serving 25 years, and was welcomed by his supporters with slogans of “Jai Shri Ram”, raising fears that such glorification could embolden others to take similarly extreme steps.

The 51-year-old Hembram, who was released on the grounds of “good behaviour”, was convicted along with prime accused Rabindra Pal Singh, also known as Dara Singh, for the murder that had triggered international outrage. The three victims were burnt alive while sleeping inside a jeep in Manoharpur village, with the attack linked to alleged tensions over religious conversions.

Hembram’s public reception, which included garlanding and celebration, has raised concerns about the potential normalisation and endorsement of religiously motivated violence.

Officials stated that Hembram was released following a recommendation from the Odisha State Sentence Review Board under the guidelines of the premature release policy, which also resulted in the release of 30 other convicts across the state. Hembram had been arrested on December 9, 1999, and had remained in custody ever since, while Singh, who was arrested later, continues to serve a life sentence in a separate facility in Keonjhar.

The Supreme Court had recently asked the Odisha Government to consider Singh’s plea for premature release, and officials said a decision is expected in the coming weeks. Originally, 51 people had been arrested in connection with the case, though most were acquitted, and Singh’s death sentence was reduced to life imprisonment by the Orissa High Court in 2005.