Mahendra Hembram, one of the two convicts in the brutal 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons, was released from Keonjhar Jail on Wednesday (16 April 2025) after serving 25 years, claiming he was falsely implicated.
“I was innocent. But still I was in jail for the last 25 years,” the 51-year-old told reporters outside the jail, where he received a garlanded farewell from prison authorities and a bank passbook containing wages earned from prison labour.
It is reported that the Odisha government granted remission on grounds of “good behaviour,” in line with its premature release policy for convicts who have served more than 14 years. Officials confirmed the decision was approved by the State Sentence Review Board and endorsed by the governor.
The release has also renewed focus on the fate of co-convict and main accused, Dara Singh alias Rabindra Pal, who remains behind bars and has applied for a similar remission. The Supreme Court has directed the Odisha government to decide on Singh’s plea by early May.
Staines, an Australian missionary associated with leprosy work, and his sons Philip (10) and Timothy (6), were burnt alive by a mob while sleeping in their station wagon outside a church in Manoharpur village on the night of 22 January 1999.
Then witnesses alleged that Hembram and Singh led the mob, locking the victims inside the vehicle before setting it ablaze.
Hembram was arrested in December 1999 and sentenced to life imprisonment in 2003 alongside Singh, whose original death sentence was later commuted by the Orissa High Court and upheld by the Supreme Court.
Dara Singh, who was arrested in January 2000, is reportedly seeking release on the grounds of repentance and old age. A decision on his future is expected in the coming weeks.
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