In India, man convicted of murdering missionary and his two sons may be released
In India, the Supreme Court is considering a petition for the release of Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of Australian Christian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons in Odisha state. A decision on the petition may be made in the coming days, ABC News Australia reports.
Dara Singh, also known as Rabindra Kumar Pal, received a life sentence in 2000. In 2003, he was sentenced to death, but two years later the High Court commuted it to life imprisonment. In July 2024, Singh filed a request for release, citing good behavior and the fact that he had spent more than 25 years in prison.
Attack in Odisha state
An armed mob of about 50 people attacked Graham Staines and his sons — six-year-old Philip and ten-year-old Timothy — in the village of Manoharpur. The attackers doused their vehicle with kerosene, set it on fire and prevented the man and children from escaping. According to ABC News Australia, those involved in the attack believed the missionary was converting poor Hindus to Christianity.
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Staines, who was born in the town of Beaudesert in Queensland, worked in India for 34 years before his death with people affected by leprosy and members of Indigenous tribes. Of the 13 people convicted in the case, Singh remains the only one still in prison.
The widow’s position
The missionary’s widow, Gladys Staines, who now lives in Townsville, Australia, said her attitude toward the killers of her husband and sons had not changed. She said she continues to forgive the killers and has no bitterness, as forgiveness brings healing. At the same time, Staines noted that she would not comment on the course of the legal proceedings.
After the deaths of her husband and sons, she remained in India with her daughter and continued helping people affected by leprosy. Staines worked there for more than two decades and in 2005 received India’s civilian Padma Shri award for her service.
