The Crime: Graham Staines' last evangelical mission began from his adopted home town of Baripada in Orissa's Mayurbhanj district on January 20 at about 4 pm. According to the investigation team set up by the Wadhwa Commission, Staines, his two sons Philip and Timothy, Gilbert Venz " a visitor from Australia " Dr Shubhankar Ghosh, Rajender Swain and Victor Khoji set out in a jeep, registration number orm 952. The vehicle was driven by Staines. Another jeep with four occupants followed. Their destination was Manoharpur, which they reached at 8.30 pm. The group retired for the night. Staines and his two sons slept in the jeep while the others stayed in thatched huts constructed behind the church.
A four-day jungle camp was what Staines and his co-travellers had in mind. The investigating team's report describes jungle camps as a 'congregation of Christians of a locality and some invitees. The purpose of the camp is said to be interaction among Christians and spiritual renewal. A jungle camp means four days of Bible teaching, prayer and fellowship. '
The investigating team's report narrates what followed in the following words:
'At about midnight, around 50 to 60 people armed with lathis and torches came from the west side of the church. Some of them were wearing red headbands. Some miscreants surrounded the vehicles near the church whereas some others guarded the nearby houses to prevent the people from coming out. The miscreants started smashing the two vehicles with lathis, etc. The villagers of Manoharpur who came to the spot were threatened and driven back. The mob first tried to burn orm 952 by setting on fire some straw under the vehicle. Simultaneously, they were smashing the other vehicle. They damaged and set fire to both vehicles. Staines and his children were not allowed to come out. A loud explosion was heard. Half-an-hour later, while the miscreants left the place, three long whistles were heard and the mob was heard shouting Jai Bajrang Bali' and Dara Singh Zindabad'. '
Submissions before the commission based on the questioning of Dara Singh's associates reveal that on January 21 " the day before the killing " 'Dara Singh, Dipu Das, Mahesh Mahanto, Avi Mahanto and Kartik Lohar assembled at Jamadwar where Dara told the group that 'the Christian pastors are converting people. They are at Manoharpur. Tonight we shall assault them to kill and set fire to their vehicle and church as well. ' Dara Singh wanted to commit the crime on January 21 and tried to assemble a mob at Jamadwar Hill, but could gather only eight persons.
The following day, however, they managed to gather a larger mob. Dara Singh led the crowd, a torch and axe in hand.
The investigating team has in its report made it clear that Dara Singh was involved: 'The evidence collected during the course of the investigation revealed the involvement of Dara Singh in the crime. There is evidence of Dara Singh's activity relating to the crime, before and after the incident. The disclosure by Kartik Lohar recorded by the Crime Branch gives in detail Dara Singh's participation in the actual crime. '
But Staines may have invited trouble. The jungle camps he organised were often in areas that were 'points of friction between Christian and non-Christian communities ' . There had been danger signals in the past. In Raika, 'differences arose in '90 over the observance of village customs and non-contribution of chanda' (donations) by Christians, but it was amicably settled. In '98, a jungle camp organised by Staines was disrupted by five persons who came on motorcycles. A complaint was lodged with the police which asked the camp to be wound up since it could not provide protection due to elections. '
Staines reported the incident in Tidings, a journal that he printed and sent back home to Australia: 'Some people from a militant Hindu group came to the camp but were not able to disturb the meetings. On the last day, the police came and told us to stop the meeting and leave... ' The jungle camps, though meant to inculcate a sense of fellowship, did attract new converts. A relevant entry in the June '97 issue of Tidings was presented before the commission. Here is Staines' report of a camp at Ranchandrapur:
'The first jungle camp in Ranchandrapur was a fruitful one and the Spirit of God worked among the people. About 100 attended, some were baptised at the camp. At present, Misayel and some of the church leaders are touring a number of places where people are asking for baptism. Five were baptised at Bigonbadi. '
It was jungle camps like these which " thanks also to exaggerated figures of conversions " attracted the attention of fundamentalist groups.
The Dara Singh Factor: Dara Singh figures among the 18 persons chargesheeted in the Staines murder case by the cbi on June 22. The investigating team has in its report given a listing of 11 cases in which Dara Singh is involved and his association with the Bajrang Dal/bjp has been revealed.
'In the following cases he is reportedly linked to the Bajrang Dal:
'fir No. 80/97 Patna Police Station, Keonjhar district;
'fir No. 83/97 Patna Police Station, Keonjhar district;
'fir No. 19/98 Patna Police Station, Keonjhar district;
'fir No. 46/98 Sadar Police Station, Keonjhar district;
'fir No. 91/98 Karanjia Police Station, Mayurbhanj district;
'fir No. 123/98 Karanjia Police Station, Mayurbhanj district;
'fir No. 1/99 Patna Police Station, Keonjhar district.
'In the following cases he is reportedly linked to the bjp:
'fir No. 71/96 Patna Police Station, Keonjhar district;
'fir No. 19/98 Patna Police Station, Keonjhar district;
'fir No. 34/98 Thakurmunda Police Station, Mayurbhanj district;
'fir No. 46/98 Sadar Police Station, Keonjhar district. '
Most of these cases related to stopping traders from transporting their cattle since Dara Singh was leading an rss-Bajrang Dal campaign against cow slaughter in the area.
The investigation team's report draws the following conclusion about Dara Singh's link with the Bajrang Dal and rss:
The report has also pieced together Dara Singh's life. He was born in Kakur Bujurg village in Oraiya district, Uttar Pradesh. After failing in his first year intermediate, says the report, he left for Delhi in '81 where he worked at the Bata shoe factory. In '87, he went to Orissa with a colleague, Chitranjan Das, to Das' home in Rudhipada village. Dara Singh left the village but came back to live with Das' family and help them in the fields. For six months, Dara even taught Hindi at the Maliposi High School but his was a temporary appointment.
It was while he was in Rudhipada that he came to be known as Dara Singh. But Das' family told him that they could not support him now that he had lost his teaching job, and he had to leave the village. Dara Singh shifted to Khuntapada where he stayed with Chaturbhuja Mahanta, a member of the Bajrang Dal and a bjp worker. It was here that 'Dara Singh used to teach martial art (lathi drill) to children in nearby villages. '
The report gives a graphic account of Dara Singh's criminal involvement:
'The name of Dara Singh came on police record for the first time in '96. He was involved in 11 criminal cases and one non-fir case. Chargesheets have been filed in eight cases and investigations in three cases are still pending. '
S.K. Mohanty, Circle Inspector, Sadar, Keonjhar district, submitted a confidential report in January 9, '99, to the SP, Keonjhar, on Dara Singh's activities. This finds mention in the report:
'Shri S.K. Mohanty in his report added that Dara Singh used to attend rss camps in Patna, Turumunga, Champua and Ghatgaon police station areas of Keonjhar district. He came into contact with rss leaders, especially with Sushil Chand Mahanta of Timrisahi, who was Bajrang Dal pramukh. He further stated that the rss and Bajrang Dal were campaigning against cow slaughter. Since the Mahanta caste worshipped the cow, they supported the movement. Dara joined the movement and took over the leadership. '
The report and submissions before the commission reveal that while many local Bajrang Dal functionaries admit they campaigned against cow slaughter, they claim not to have known Dara Singh. However, other activists of the rss and the Bajrang Dal did speak of Dara Singh's activist status.
Why Was Staines Killed? There was a conflict between Christian and non-Christian communities in both Mayurbhanj and Keonjhar districts. These tensions increased with the increased activities of the missionaries. According to the report, the social reasons for this were:
While the investigating team's report gives a detailed account of what transpired on the night of January 22, there will be great interest in Justice Wadhwa's recommendations. It is reliably learnt that he has made some suggestions on how communal tensions can be defused in the area. But there are doubts in the mind of the Christian community if the report will be made public in any hurry. Any delay would only add to the suspicion that the government wants to keep the case under wraps.
