VHP Gives A Warm Welcome To Graham Staines Murder Convict, Mahendra Hembram

The Vishwa Hindu Parishad gave a warm welcome to Mahendra Hembram, convicted in the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, was released after 25 years on Thursday. Hembram was among those who set fire to the vehicle where Staines and his sons were sleeping.

Hembram, now 50, walked out of Odisha's Keonjhar jail adorned with garlands. He was an aide to Bajrang Dal activist Dara Singh and played a role in the attack that led to the deaths of Staines and his sons in January 1999. This incident sparked significant national and international outrage.

Conviction and Release

Dara Singh, whose real name is Ravindra Pal from Uttar Pradesh's Etawah, led the mob with Hembram. They were convicted for burning alive Graham Staines and his sons Philip (10) and Timothy (6) on January 21, 1999. The State Sentence Review Board decided on Hembram's release due to his good behaviour during incarceration.

"Hembram has been released following a decision by the State Sentence Review Board," said Jailer Manaswini Naik. "He has been released after 25 years because of good behaviour in accordance with the rules," Naik added.

Allegations and Arrests

The attack on Staines was linked to tensions over alleged religious conversions. It was also suggested that straw spread over their vehicle for warmth might have contributed to the fire. A total of 51 people were arrested between 1999 and 2000; however, only Dara Singh and Mahendra Hembram were convicted.

Hembram received a bank passbook detailing earnings from prison labour upon release. "I spent 25 years in jail after being falsely implicated in an incident related to religious conversion," he told PTI.

Dara Singh's Sentencing

Dara Singh initially received a death sentence in September but had it commuted to life imprisonment by the Orissa High Court in 2005. The Supreme Court upheld this decision. Singh expressed no regret for his actions: "No. I've no regrets. And I will never regret," he told India Today Magazine in May 2000.