Dara gets second life term for priest’s murder

Dara singh, serving a life sentence for the murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines, was on Saturday sentenced to life for the killing of a Catholic priest in Mayurbhanj district eight years ago. Three others—Jadunath Mahanto, Chema Ho and Rajkishore Mahanto—were also sentenced for life by district judge Sachidananda Sahu who had convicted them on September 11.

They were also sentenced to seven years rigorous imprisonment for burning a church, five years for trespass and three years for armed attack. The sentences would run concurrently. Seventeen others were acquitted in the case relating to the murder of Rev Arul Doss on September 1, 1999 at Jamubani village due to lack of evidence.

Twenty-three witnesses were examined during the trial, which began on September 8, 2004. Doss was attacked and chased by the accused while attending a function and killed with arrows. Singh, who is undergoing life term for burning to death Staines and his minor sons, Philip and Timothy, outside a church at Manoharpur village in Keonjhar district on January 22, 1999, said he would challenge the verdict in the Orissa High Court.

The defence in Doss murder case had contended that identification parade of the accused had not been held. They were identified by six witnesses in the court around four years after the incident, which was legally unacceptable.