Jhiram Valley Massacre: NIA Court Convicts All 10 Accused in 2013 Maoist Attack

A special National Investigation Agency court has convicted all 10 accused in the 2013 Maoist attack in Jhiram Valley, an ambush that killed 29 people, including prominent Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh.

The attack took place on May 25, 2013, when Maoists struck a convoy travelling during the Congress party’s Parivartan Rally in Jhiram Valley, within the limits of Darbha police station in Bastar district. Those killed included then state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, former opposition leader Mahendra Karma and former Union minister Vidyacharan Shukla. More than 30 people were injured.

Special Judge Abhay Singh Rajput convicted the 10 accused, including two women, in the NIA court in Jagdalpur. The court reserved its order on the punishment for September 16. During the trial, prosecutors presented testimony from 101 witnesses, along with supporting documents.

Defence lawyer Arvind Choudhary said the defence would challenge the verdict in a higher court. “We will appeal against the verdict in the higher court. We have not received the copy of the judgment yet. We will be able to give the grounds for appeal after receiving it,” he said.

The Bastar police initially registered the case, but authorities later transferred it to the NIA after Congress alleged security failures by the state government and police. The NIA filed its chargesheet in September 2014. The case has also involved two judicial commissions and a separate Special Investigation Team inquiry. In 2020, the Supreme Court dismissed a challenge by the Chhattisgarh government over a commission’s refusal to examine additional witnesses.

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We will appeal against the verdict in the higher court. We have not received the copy of the judgment yet. We will be able to give the grounds for appeal after receiving it.