Overview

• Mahendra Hembram, convicted in the 1999 murders of Graham Staines and his two young sons, was released from Keonjhar Jail in Odisha on April 16, 2025, after serving 25 years.
• Hembram's release was approved by the Odisha State Sentence Review Board based on his good behaviour during incarceration, as confirmed by jail authorities.
• The release has sparked contrasting reactions, with some political and religious groups welcoming the decision, while others criticized it as undermining justice for a hate crime that shocked the world.
• Dara Singh, the leader of the mob responsible for the murders, remains in prison with a remission plea under review by the Odisha government, following a Supreme Court directive issued in March 2025.
• The 1999 killings, carried out by a mob led by Singh, targeted Staines, a missionary devoted to leprosy patients, and his sons while they were sleeping in a vehicle, drawing global condemnation and prompting legal and policy debates in India.