The early release of Mahendra Hembram, one of the men convicted in the 1999 murders of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two young sons, has reignited debate over justice, forgiveness, and the treatment of religious minorities in India.

Hembram, now 50, walked free from Keonjhar jail on 17 April 2025 after serving 25 years, his parole granted on grounds of “good behaviour” by the Odisha State Sentence Review Board. He was met outside the prison by jubilant supporters, garlanded with flowers, and greeted with chants of “Jai Shri Ram”-a scene that has drawn condemnation from Christian leaders and human rights advocates.

Graham Staines, a missionary from Queensland, Australia, had spent over three decades in Odisha, tending to leprosy patients and serving the region’s tribal poor. On the night of January 22, 1999, Staines and his sons, Philip (10) and Timothy (6), were sleeping in their station wagon outside a church in Manoharpur village when a mob of about 50, led by Bajrang Dal activist Dara Singh and aided by Hembram, set the vehicle ablaze. The three were burned alive, their attempts to escape blocked by the attackers.

The killings provoked international outrage. Then-President K.R. Narayanan called it “a monumental aberration from the traditions of tolerance and humanity for which India is known”. The attack was widely attributed to tensions over alleged religious conversions, though the Wadhwa Commission later found no evidence of forced conversions by Staines.

Hembram’s release, officially justified by his “good conduct” in prison, has been celebrated by Hindu nationalist groups. The Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) hailed the day as a “good day for us,” while Hembram himself maintained his innocence, telling reporters, “I spent 25 years in jail after being falsely implicated in an incident related to religious conversion. Today, I have been released”.

Jail authorities confirmed that Hembram’s parole was consistent with Odisha’s remission policy, which allows life convicts to be considered for release after 20–25 years in serious cases.

Christian leaders have expressed deep dismay at the public celebration of Hembram’s release. John Dayal, spokesperson for the United Christian Forum, described the hero’s welcome as “obscene” and a “blatant politicisation of the justice system.” He warned, “The political clamour for the release of Dara Singh too is on the rise. If murderers like Hembram and Dara Singh are released and that release celebrated in this manner, that will send a wrong message to those who indulge in such crimes”.

Father Ajay Kumar Singh, a Catholic priest and human rights activist in Odisha, told Morning Star News: “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”.

He further emphasised that the crime should not be treated as “a simple murder,” but as a “rarest of the rare crime against humanity”.

The parole of Hembram has also brought renewed attention to the pending remission plea of Dara Singh, the main perpetrator, whose application is currently under review by the Odisha government. Christian leaders and civil society groups fear that further releases could embolden religious violence and undermine the sense of justice for India’s Christian minority.

As India marks 25 years since the “black deed” that claimed the lives of Graham Staines and his sons, the wounds remain raw for many. The spectacle of celebration at a convicted killer’s release, say church leaders, is a stark reminder of the challenges facing religious minorities and the enduring struggle for justice and reconciliation in the world’s largest democracy.