Militant group cleared in missionary trial

ORISSA, India — Four years after the brutal murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, their murder trial took a bizarre turn when a Central Bureau of Investigations (CBI) officer testifying for the prosecution declared that none of the 18 defendants are members of the militant Hindu group Bajrang Dal. Earlier, CBI reports on the case named six assailants, including prime suspect Dara Singh, as members of the Bajrang Dal. Numerous eyewitnesses also claim they heard the attackers chant Bajrang Dal slogans as they attacked the missionary and his sons.

Staines and his two young sons, Philip and Timothy, died on the night of Jan. 22, 1999, at the hands of an angry mob that doused their jeep with gasoline and set it afire. The Bajrang Dal is actively engaged in training “warriors of the Hindutva revolution” and openly equips volunteers with weapons and firearms. Christian spokesmen in India believe Barang Dal benefits from its close association with national leaders of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.