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Chenchu: The juvenile follower of Dara Singh

Legal history was created when a 13-year-old tribal boy was sentenced to a 14-year life term in the Graham Stewart Staines murder case. It was the harshest ever punishment awarded to a juvenile.

The boy Chenchu alias Sudarshan Hansda, an ardent follower of the notorious Dara Singh, was found guilty of involvement in the killing of Staines and his two minor sons on the night of January 22, 1999.

Chenchu had come in contact with Dara Singh and his men just a few months before the dastardly crime took place in Manoharpur. He was a class seven dropout from Manoharpur Upper Primary School in Keonjhar district. After dropping out of school, Chenchu was working as a cowherd and it was Dara's professed love for cows that brought them together.

However, police records do not mention his involvement in any of the incidents of assault on local Muslim cattle traders and burning of trucks transporting cattle by Dara and his followers.

Chenchu's father was a daily labourer and mother a firewood collector. Chenchu's social contacts were limited and Keonjhar Superintendent of Police A K Ray says, "He was not involved in any crime before January 22, 1999 when he was allegedly part in the group which burnt the Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons to death."

"It seems Chenchu, inspired by Dara's tirade against local Christians and conversion attempts by missionaries, readily agreed to accompany Dara and his group to the spot where Staines and his sons were burnt inside a vehicle," Ray said.

On 23rd January, the day after the murder, he was picked up from his home by the police and was interrogated. Chenchu feigned ignorance and the police were also unable to establish his involvement in the crime leading to his release.

As soon as he was free, Chenchu fled from his village. This made the police suspicious. These were confirmed when they recovered a letter to Dara having Chenchu's signature along with that of others' from another associate of Dara.

The special task force arrested Chenchu a few months later.

The lifer that Chenchu got a few days back when his case was split from that of 13 others, including Dara Singh, because he is a juvenile has created legal history.

When the judgement was delivered in the special Central Bureau of Investigation designated court on 4th October at Bhubaneswar, Chenchu broke down. The reticent tribal boy is hopeful that the higher court would set him free.

After his stint at the Observation and Special Home for Juveniles in Berhampur, he has been shifted to the juvenile home at Angul where, if the inmates are to be believed, he is a favourite with the inmates and the officials for his calm temperament.

"He has been behaving normally and shown no grief or despair," says a jail warder of the home.

Chenchu's lawyer plans to enter a plea in the high court after the Puja vacation and hopes that the boy would escape the harsh punishment handed own to him.

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