Graham Staines

Graham Stuart Staines (18 January 1941 – 23 January 1999) was an Australian Christian missionary who, along with his two sons, Philip (aged 10) and Timothy (aged 6), was burnt to death in India by members of the Bajrang Dal, a militant Hindutva organisation. In 2003, Bajrang Dal member Dara Singh was convicted of leading the murderers and was sentenced to life in prison.

Staines had been working in Orissa (Odisha) since 1965 as part of an evangelical missionary organisation named "Mayurbhanj Leprosy Home" caring for people who had leprosy and looking after the tribal people in the area who lived in abject poverty. However, some Hindutva groups alleged that during this time he had supposedly tricked, lured or forcibly coerced many Hindus into believing in the Christian faith. The Wadhwa Commission noted that there was no evidence of forced conversions. Staines's widow Gladys has also denied the allegation of forced conversions.

Gladys continued to live and work in India caring for those who were poor and were affected by leprosy until she returned home to Australia in 2004. In 2005, she was awarded the fourth highest civilian honour of India, the Padma Shree, in recognition for her work in Orissa. In 2016, she received the Mother Teresa Memorial International Award for Social Justice.