Graham Staines

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Graham Stuart Staines (d. January 22, 1999) was an Australian missionary who was burnt alive while he was sleeping with his two sons Timothy (aged 9) and Philip (aged 7) in his station wagon at Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district in Orissa, India in January 1999. He had been working in Orissa among the poor and especially for people suffering from leprosy since 1965. He was also accused by the right-wing Sangh Parivar [1] of being a zealous evangelical, trying to take tribals away from their customs and convert them to Christianity. He was well known and deeply unpopular with many Hindu leaders for converting many tribals to Christianity. His wife Gladys had been working with him since 1981.

[edit] Sequence of events following his death

On January 29, 1999, the Government of India issued a notification setting up a judicial commission of inquiry to investigate the murder. The commission was to submit a report in two months but this was changed to 5 months in March 1999 when the proceedings actually began. In that same month, the case was handed over to the CBI from the state police. In June 1999, the commission submitted its report holding Dara Singh guilty of the crime. The very next day, the CBI submitted chargesheets against the people involved. In January 2000, Dara Singh was arrested in a forest in Mayurbhanj district. In September 2000, charges were framed against the accused. Trial began in March 2001 in a district and sessions court designated a CBI court. In February 2002, an accused, Mahendra Hembram said in court that he was the culprit and the others were innocent. In April 2003, accused Dayanidhi Patra said in court that he was present when Dara Singh set fire to the vehicle. The trial ended in August 2003 and judgement was passed in September 2003 convicting Dara Singh and 12 others and acquitting Anirudha Dandapat. In spite of Gladys Staines' appeal for clemency, Dara Singh was sentenced to death and others were given life imprisonment.