Overview

• Mahendra Hembram, convicted in the 1999 murders of Graham Staines and his two sons, was released from Keonjhar jail in Odisha after serving 25 years.
• The Odisha State Sentence Review Board recommended Hembram's release based on good behaviour during his incarceration, a decision carried out under the state's premature release policy.
• The 1999 murders, in which the victims were burned alive in their vehicle, drew global condemnation and highlighted anti-conversion tensions in India.
• Dara Singh, the prime accused in the case and leader of the mob, remains imprisoned, with his remission plea under review following a Supreme Court directive to the Odisha government.
• Hembram has maintained his innocence, claiming he was falsely implicated due to his opposition to religious conversions.