Could the man who murdered a Christian missionary and his sons walk free in India?

More than 25 years after a shocking act of anti-Christian violence drew global condemnation, the man convicted of murdering an Australian missionary and his two young sons in India may be released from prison. Dara Singh has petitioned the Supreme Court, expressing regret for his crimes.

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court is scheduled to consider a petition from Singh, who was found guilty of killing Australian Christian missionary Graham Staines and his sons in 1999. Singh, whose birth name is Rabindra Kumar Pal, has been incarcerated since his arrest in 2000. He is serving a life sentence for setting fire to the missionary and his six and 10-year-old sons in a village in Odisha (formerly Orissa), an eastern Indian state.

Staines had dedicated three decades to working with leprosy patients. However, Singh and his associates, who belonged to Hindu hardline groups, accused Staines of coercing poor Hindus from disadvantaged castes and tribal communities into converting to Christianity.

The brutality of the crime sent shockwaves through India's minority Christian community and provoked international outrage. Recent reports suggesting Singh's potential release have rekindled memories of the horrific incident.

Staines resided in Baripada, located in the Mayurbhanj district, where he served the local tribal population. On the night of January 22, 1999, Staines and his sons attended a Christian gathering in Manoharpur, a remote village in the neighboring Keonjhar district. They were asleep in their jeep when a mob of 60 to 70 individuals, led by Singh, surrounded the vehicle, set it ablaze, and prevented their escape.

Following the crime, Singh went into hiding. Police circulated posters across the state, offering an 800,000-rupee reward (approximately $18,000 at the time) for information leading to his capture. Contemporary reports indicated that he received assistance from villagers and tribal communities who lauded him as "a modern-day Tarzan who plays with elephants and rides tigers." He was apprehended a year later during an overnight raid on a jungle hideout.

In an interview, Singh stated, "Missionaries have been targeting our religion. They have been converting Hindus by deceit and inducements. Our religion is under siege. As a true Hindu, it was my responsibility to oppose them." He added, "Since I was possibly the most famous name in the region, the police implicated me in the killings." Singh also claimed he was "prepared to be a martyr for the cause of Hindus" but believed he would never be convicted.

His optimism proved unfounded. In 2003, a trial court sentenced Singh to death and 12 others to life imprisonment. Two years later, the high court commuted Singh's death sentence to life imprisonment. It upheld the life sentence of his accomplice, Mahendra Hembram, but acquitted 11 others due to insufficient evidence. In January 2011, the Supreme Court affirmed Singh's life sentence, rejecting the prosecutors' request to reinstate the death penalty.

The Staines murder was not Singh's only offense. In 2007, he was convicted for two other grave crimes against religious minorities, both committed in 1999, the same year he murdered the Australian missionary and his children. Police had filed 10 cases accusing Singh of involvement in hijacking trucks belonging to Muslim traders transporting cows, an animal many Hindus consider sacred, and releasing the animals. In his interview, Singh denied personal involvement, suggesting "my supporters might have done it." However, he admitted to being "actively involved in the movement against illegal trade in cows and cow slaughter," which "had to be stopped at any cost."

Church leaders had alleged that the attacks were orchestrated by the hardline Hindu organization Bajrang Dal, but Singh denied membership. An inquiry commission, headed by retired top court judge DP Wadhwa, later concluded that Singh acted alone.

Graham Staines' widow, Gladys, who remained in India with her daughter Esther until July 2004, stated that she had "forgiven" Dara Singh in the Christian spirit, remarking, "Forgiveness opens up the path of healing."

In July 2024, Singh filed a plea for remission with the Supreme Court, arguing that he was entitled to release after spending over 25 years in prison. He cited good conduct in jail and expressed remorse for his actions. The 62-year-old attributed the crime to "the fervour of youth" in his petition.

Last year, the Supreme Court instructed the state government to decide on his plea, but authorities have yet to inform the court of their intentions. At the last hearing on August 19, authorities informed the court that the Sentence Review Board (SRB), which is reviewing Singh's plea, required additional paperwork and requested an adjournment.

The two-judge bench, comprising Justices Manoj Misra and Vijay Bishnoi, expressed frustration at the state's repeated requests for adjournments. They stated that if the SRB failed to decide on Singh's plea by September 2, the court would intervene. "You take a decision, whichever way you want. If you do not take a decision, then we will."

Reports of Singh's potential release, should the state government or the court accept his remission petition, have caused apprehension within India's 30-million Christian community, partly due to unease over his past statements. In his 2000 India Today interview, he declared he had "no regrets" and "will never regret" killing Staines' children. He added, "When Hindus die, others don't cry. Why should we weep when others die? Whatever has happened is right. Whatever will happen will also be right." If released, he stated he would "go back to what I have been doing – oppose cow slaughter and conversions." He further warned, "The government must stop them. If they are not stopped, more people might get killed. Anything can happen."