Juvenile Convict in Graham Staines Murder Case Converts to Christianity

Bhubaneswar, Odisha, June 27, 2025: Chengu Hansdah, a former juvenile convict involved in the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons, has publicly declared his conversion to Christianity, stating it brought him inner peace and healing. Chengu revealed the news of his conversion in a video interview conducted earlier this week in Odisha by journalist Dayashankar Mishra.

Chengu, who served nine years in prison due to his minor status at the time of conviction, said in the interview that his decision to convert to Christianity was not influenced by clergy or external pressure but stemmed from personal grief and introspection. “I am happy to be a Christian,” he stated in the interview, adding, “The Bajrang Dal people do not know what they are doing. There is no forceful conversion.”

Speaking to Catholic Connect, Father Ajay Kumar Singh, a Catholic priest based in Odisha, provided further insights into Chengu’s spiritual transformation.

Father Ajay confirmed that no priests counselled Chengu during his incarceration. He added that Chengu had suffered a lot after his release from prison. "He lost his first wife, sisters, and other family members. He was deeply disturbed due to this," Father Ajay revealed. 

One day, Chengu heard a powerful inner voice urging him to renounce violence if he truly wanted to live in peace. It compelled him to return to the very people he had once harmed—the Christian community in Odisha’s Keonjhar district, where Graham Staines was murdered. "That inner voice ultimately led him to embrace Christianity," Father Ajay explained.

"In Chengu's village, most of those who convert become Christians, but not necessarily Catholics. I presume he’s part of a non-Catholic denomination,” Father Ajay added.

Chengu's conversion appears to be part of a broader, quieter trend among former Hindu hardliners who have renounced violence. 

According to Father Ajay, a former Congress minister from Odisha, Nagarjuna Pradhan has also reportedly embraced Christianity in the aftermath of the 2008 Kandhamal violence. In the 1980s, Pradhan was involved in facilitating several anti-Christian mobilisations in different parts of Odisha. This included a Ratha Yatra, which was held under his patronage. The yatra, which passed through Odisha's Phulbani district, ultimately led to attacks on several churches in the area. The yatra was led by the late Swami Laxmanananda Saraswati. Pradhan was the Chairman of the Reception Committee to promote the yatra.

Though elderly now, Pradhan’s conversion marks a symbolic turning point, shedding light on the long-lasting moral and spiritual consequences of communal violence.

While Chengu has not reported receiving physical threats for converting to Christianity, Father Ajay noted that he has faced verbal confrontation. “Mahendra Hembram, one of the key accused in the Graham Staines murder case, questioned Chengu about his conversion. Chengu responded by saying Christianity gave him peace,” Father Ajay said.

The conversions of Chengu Hansdah and Nagarjuna Pradhan stand as a poignant reminder of the human capacity for change. Their journeys from participating in brutal acts of communal hatred to finding peace in the faith of those they once wronged offer a rare glimpse into the possibility of healing through introspection and spiritual awakening.

By Catholic Connect Reporter