India: Justice Burns While Staines’ Killer Walks Free – OpEd

(UCA News) — Amid religious chants and floral offerings, Mahendra Hembram walked out of Odisha’s Keonjhar jail on April 16, despite he was serving life in jail, convicted in one of India‘s most notorious hate crimes. The Odisha State Sentence Review Board cited his exemplary conduct as grounds for release after he spent 25 years in jail. 

The timing struck a discordant note as Christians prepared for Good Friday observances just two days later. Hembram had been serving a life sentence for his involvement in the 1999 brutal murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his young sons, aged 10 and 6, that shocked the nation and the international community.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Staines had dedicated decades to serving leprosy patients in Odisha, earning widespread respect for his humanitarian work. That January night, a mob led by Dara Singh, with Hembram as an accomplice, surrounded the station wagon where the family slept and set it ablaze. Their screams went unheeded.

The brutality of this premeditated act led to life sentences that many assumed would keep the perpetrators behind bars until death.

Now, justice appears compromised.

Hembram’s release — justified by authorities as a reward for “good behavior” — came without public evidence of genuine rehabilitation or remorse. No statements of contrition were reported. No work with religious tolerance organizations documented.

Instead, supporters greeted him with chants of “Jai Shri Ram,” a slogan increasingly weaponized in religious conflicts. This was not the solemn exit of a reformed man but a victory celebration that validated the hatred behind the original crime.

The timing speaks volumes. Good Friday marks Christianity’s most solemn observance — a day symbolizing sacrifice and forgiveness. For India’s Christian minority, Hembram’s release represents not mercy but mockery.

It signals that the murder of a foreign missionary and his children, if aligned with certain political ideologies, carries a sentence lighter than many non-violent crimes. What message does this send to religious minorities across India?

Behind this decision looms the shadow of politics. The BJP-led government, with its close ties to Hindu nationalist organizations, has faced persistent criticism for policies that marginalize religious minorities.

Hembram’s release — occurring during election season in several states — raises questions about political calculations. Was this a deliberate signal to hardline supporters? The government has offered no transparency regarding the decision-making process, nor has it explained why this particular time was chosen.

The “Jai Shri Ram” chants that greeted Hembram transform what might have been a routine parole decision into something more sinister. These are not the celebrations of a man who has demonstrated profound change. They are the triumphant cries of those who see religious violence as justified.

This narrative directly contradicts India’s constitutional commitment to secularism and equal justice.

Gladys Staines, Graham’s widow, offered extraordinary forgiveness after the murders. “I have forgiven the killers and have no bitterness,” she stated in 1999. Her grace embodied the Christian principle of turning the other cheek. Yet forgiveness does not negate accountability.

The unilateral decision to release Hembram disregards the gravity of the crime and the message it sends about state protection for religious minorities.

Critics may argue that 25 years represents substantial punishment. Indeed, India‘s penal code allows remission based on behavior. But murder cases involving religious hatred demand exceptional scrutiny.

When rehabilitation remains unproven and the release coincides with significant religious observances, the justice system appears compromised by sectarian interests.

This case illuminates India’s struggle with pluralism.

The pro-Hindu Bharatiya Janata Party and its ideological parent body, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, openly advocate for Hindu cultural dominance while claiming to protect minorities.

Hembram’s celebratory release exposes the contradiction in these claims. It demonstrates how justice can bend under political pressure, especially for crimes targeting those outside the majority faith.

For democracy to function, citizens must trust in equal application of the law regardless of religion or political affiliation. Decisions like Hembram’s release must withstand public scrutiny and demonstrate that mercy stems from genuine rehabilitation, not electoral strategy.

When courts and parole boards appear to bow to religious nationalism, they erode the foundation of democratic governance.

India stands at a crossroads. Will it honor its constitutional commitment to religious pluralism, or continue down a path where justice depends on one’s faith? The celebration of Hembram’s release, timed precisely before Christianity’s holiest days, suggests troubling answers.

Citizens across faith traditions must demand transparency in such decisions. They must insist that parole boards document evidence of rehabilitation and consider the symbolic impact of their timing. Most importantly, they must reject the notion that burning children alive can ever be celebrated, regardless of religious motivations.

The Staines family’s tragedy reminds us that true healing demands both forgiveness and accountability. Without both, the cycle of religious violence continues — and justice, like the Staines family on that terrible night, burns beyond recognition.

*The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.