Actor dies re-enacting Staines murder

Actor dies re-enacting Staines murder
N C Bipindra

Chennai, Jan 17: Graham Stewart Staines, the Australian missionary, was burnt alive two years ago. Last week, a fortnight before Staines' death anniversary on January 22, a youth, who portrayed the missionary in a stage play, met with the same fate.

In a ghastly accident, 26-year-old Mohan Kumar, who attempted to re-enact the Staines murder using real fuel on stage on January 7, succumbed to 20 per cent burns at the Royapettah Government Hospital last Friday.

The skit was a part of the cultural event organised jointly by eight welfare associations at Nanganallur near Chennai. Over 1,000 members of these associations and the public, besides the municipal and police officials watched helplessly as the flames overpowered the amateur actor. They were too shocked to react.

Organisers of the event told The Indian Express that they were unaware of the ploy of using ``real fuel'' for the skit. ``We never even imagined he was going to use petrol. It was entirely his (Mohan Kumar's) idea. Even other members of the cast were unaware of it,'' said V Rama Rao, secretary, Lakshmi Nagar civic welfare association -- one of the organisers of the cultural fete.

As the drama was reaching its climax, the boy portraying the role of a Hindu zealot set Mohan, playing Staines, on fire. Mohan's co-actors ``were stunned'' as the flames engulfed the young actor.

The organisers were the first to realise that Mohan was struggling for survival. They poured water over him, and after dousing the flames, took him to a private nursing home where the doctors administered first aid. The actor was moved to Kilpauk Medical College Hospital where he spent a day under treatment. His family then moved him to Royapettah Government Hospital, where he died five days later, on January 12.

Mohan's close friends feel that his devil-may-care attitude had finally proved his nemesis. Sai, his bosom friend and director of the skit, said, ``Mohan always looked out for adventure in whatever he did. He even insisted that he play the role of Staines instead of me.'' Sai too said he was totally in the dark about Mohan's idea of using petrol.

Mohan, a plumber-cum-electrician with a private contractor, had endeared himself to the local populace with his friendly and outgoing ways, and he was always ready to help anyone in distress.

The unfortunate incident has shaken the members of the welfare associations and his friends. The most affected of the lot is the family of Sai in whose care Mohan grew up from age three after his mother's death.