Odisha's sentence review board rejected a premature release plea for Dara Singh, who is serving a life sentence for the 1999 murder of Australian missionary Graham Staines and his two sons.
The board cited a district administration report noting that about 200 to 250 people raised provocative slogans outside Keonjhar District Jail on August 15, warning of potential communal unrest.
The Supreme Court had directed the state government to take a clear stance on Singh's release ahead of a scheduled hearing on September 17.