Cuttack: A local court today (April 30, 2004) convicted Dara Singh, sentenced to death by the Khurda District and Sessions Court in the Graham Staines triple murder case last year, and five others for assaulting jail officials.

The six were convicted by the court of Judicial Magistrate (First Class) Bikram Patnaik for having assaulted the staff of the Choudwar Circle Jail, where they were lodged, in February 2003. The court sentenced all six to one-year rigorous imprisonment.

Another accused, Surath Nayak, was acquitted by the court due to lack of evidence against him.

Others convicted were Rabi Soren, Harish Chandra Mahanta, Mahendra Hembram, Thuram Ho and Kartik Lohar, all of whom had been handed life imprisonment in the judgement pronounced in the Staines case on September 22 last year.