BHUBANESWAR/KEONJHAR: Mahendra Hembram, an aide of Dara Singh and co-convict in the brutal killing of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two minor sons in 1999, has secured early release from prison.
Hembram was sentenced to life imprisonment but granted premature release following a decision by the State Sentence Review Board on ground of good conduct. He walked out of the Keonjhar jail on Wednesday after being accorded a farewell by jail officials.
The State Sentence Review Board had sent the recommendation for his early release to the Odisha government in November last year, following which the Home department reviewed the case. The Home department had then forwarded the recommendation to the Law department which granted remission to Hembram on Tuesday.
“The government decided to prematurely release Hembram basing on the Supreme Court’s direction and the state’s jail manual. While a life sentence means imprisonment for life, it is possible for a convict to be released after serving 14 years, but only through the process of remission by states/Union Territories. A total of 30 convicts, including Hembram, who were serving life imprisonment in different cases were granted remission a day before,” director general of prisons Arun Ray said.
Keonjhar jail superintendent in-charge Manaswini Nayak said Hembram’s behaviour and conduct were satisfactory.
“He was lodged in ward number - 19. As his conduct was appropriate, he was made the night watchman of the ward and was receiving remuneration for the same,” she said adding, his earnings were handed over to him on release.
Hembram and Dara Singh alias Rabindra Pal Singh were convicted in the murders of Staines and his two sons, who were burnt alive by a mob on the night of January 22, 1999 when they were asleep in their station wagon at Manoharpur village.
Hembram, now 51, belongs to Manoharpur village. He was arrested on January 31, 2000, and was awarded life imprisonment on September 22, 2003. During his term, he was lodged in different prisons - Special Jail in Jharpada, Jamujhari, Choudwar, Berhampur, Baripada and Anandapur. He was shifted to Keonjhar jail on September 28, 2011.
Singh was apprehended by then-Mayurbhanj SP YB Khurania, who is now the state DGP, on January 31, 2000. A total of 14 persons, including Singh and Hembram, were accused in the gruesome case. However, 12 of them were acquitted.
Singh, the main accused in the triple murder, was convicted and sentenced to death by a CBI court in 2003. The Orissa High Court, however, commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment in 2005 which was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2011.
Last month, the Supreme Court had also asked the Odisha government to decide the remission plea of Singh.