A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Jagdalpur on Saturday convicted all 10 accused in the 2013 Jhiram Valley Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh, one of the deadliest assaults on the state’s political leadership.
The attack on May 25, 2013, targeted a convoy of Congress leaders during the party’s Parivartan Rally in Jhiram Valley, under Darbha police station limits in Bastar district.
Twenty-nine people, including several senior Congress leaders, were killed in the ambush.
NIA court reserves order on punishment
Special Judge Abhay Singh Rajput convicted all 10 accused, including two women, according to defence lawyer Arvind Choudhary, who was quoted by news agency PTI.
The court has reserved its order on the quantum of punishment for September 16.
Choudhary said the defence would challenge the verdict in a higher court after receiving a copy of the judgment. He said the grounds for appeal would be decided after examining the order.
The trial involved the examination of 101 witnesses.
What happened in the Jhiram Valley attack?
On May 25, 2013, Maoists ambushed a convoy carrying Congress leaders who were returning from a Parivartan Rally in Bastar’s Jhiram Valley.
Among those killed were then Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, former state minister and opposition leader Mahendra Karma and former Union minister Vidyacharan Shukla.
Civilians and security personnel were also among the victims.
More than 30 people were injured in the attack, which dealt a major blow to the Congress leadership in Chhattisgarh.
NIA took over investigation
The case was initially registered by Bastar police before being handed over to the NIA days after the attack.
The transfer came after the Congress raised questions over alleged security lapses by the state government and police.
The NIA subsequently filed its chargesheet before the special court in Jagdalpur in September 2014.
Over the course of the investigation and trial, the agency presented 101 witnesses along with supporting documentary evidence.
In 2023, the NIA also issued a public advertisement seeking additional information related to the case.
Case saw multiple inquiries
The Jhiram Valley case has gone through several investigative and judicial processes over the years.
Two judicial commissions were constituted to examine different aspects of the attack, while the NIA and a Special Investigation Team also conducted investigations at different stages.
The case also reached the Supreme Court. In 2020, the top court dismissed a plea filed by the Chhattisgarh government challenging a judicial commission’s refusal to examine additional witnesses.
Defence plans to appeal
Following Saturday’s verdict, defence lawyer Choudhary said the accused would challenge the conviction in a higher court.
“We will appeal against the verdict in the higher court,” he said, adding that the defence had not yet received the judgment copy.
The next major development in the case is expected on September 16, when the special NIA court is scheduled to pronounce its decision on the quantum of punishment.
