Staines' Murder
| “ | Dara Singh, who burned Christian missionary Staines at Orissa few years ago, is a role model to us. There are many Dara Singhs in Kundapur who can foil the attempt to convert. | ” |
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— Krishnaprasad Adyanthaya, managing trustee of Sri Mookambika Temple in Kollur, Dakshina Kannada district, Karnataka (July 2007) |
On 22 January 1999, a mob of Hindu Adivasis led by Singh attacked the station wagon inhabited by Graham Staines and his two sons, Philip (aged 10) and Timothy (aged 6) at Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district. Chanting Jai Bajarang Bali, the mob set fire to the station wagon and the Staines' were burned to death. Other perpetrators in the killing of Graham Staines included Bhimasen Mahanta, Rajat Das, Mahendra Hembram and Chenchu Hansda (a minor). The CBI had chargesheeted total 18 persons in the case in June 1999, saying there was a prima facie case against the accused for commission of the offence under various sections of the Indian Penal Code. Of those formally sentenced to life imprisonment, only Hembram was acquitted. In September 2003, the Khordha Sessions Court sentenced Singh to death for his role in the murders.
Subsequent to his arrest, his supporters formed several organisations, including Dara Singh Parijan Suraksha Samiti (Council for Aiding the Family of Dara Singh), Dharmarakhyak Sri Dara Singh Bachao Samiti (Committee to defend Dara Singh, the Protector of our Religion), Dharmarakshak Dara Singh Sahayta Samiti (Committee to assist Dara Singh, the Protector of our Religion) and Dara Sena (Dara's Army), claiming to espouse his cause. These groups describe him as the saviour of Hinduism. There was also a "Free Dara Singh" website. Several small booklets with titles like Mono Ku Chhui Gola (He Has Touched Our Hearts), or Mu Dara Singh Kahuchi (This is Dara Singh Speaking), eulogising Dara and criticising the activities of Staines and other Christian missionaries, are circulating in the region.
Read more about this topic: Dara Singh (Hindu Nationalist)
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