Jagdalpur: A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region has convicted 10 people in connection with the 2013 Jhiram Valley Maoist attack, one of the deadliest incidents of left-wing extremist violence in the state. The attack claimed 29 lives and dealt a severe blow to the Congress leadership in Chhattisgarh.
Special Judge Abhay Singh Rajput of the NIA special court in Jagdalpur pronounced the verdict on September 5, convicting 10 accused, including two women, news agency PTI reported. The court is expected to announce the quantum of sentence on September 16.
The attack took place on May 25, 2013, when Maoists ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders travelling along a national highway in Jhiram Valley, within the limits of Darbha police station in Bastar district.
The leaders were returning after attending a ‘Parivartan Rally’ when Maoists launched the attack. Among those killed were then-state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and his son Dinesh Patel, former Leader of the Opposition in the Chhattisgarh Assembly Mahendra Karma, former Union Minister Vidya Charan Shukla and former MLA Uday Mudliyar. Several civilians and security personnel also lost their lives in the attack.
The incident was initially investigated by Bastar police, which registered the case following the attack. Given the scale and seriousness of the incident, the investigation was subsequently transferred to the NIA.
The central agency filed its charge sheet before the special court in Jagdalpur in September 2014. During the prolonged proceedings, the NIA examined 101 witnesses.
In addition to the NIA investigation, two judicial commissions were constituted to examine different aspects of the attack.
The verdict had earlier been expected on August 31, but the court deferred its decision to September 5.
Reacting to the verdict and the investigation, former Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel alleged that the NIA had suppressed facts and prevented the state government from conducting its own probe into the attack. He further alleged that the previous BJP government had failed to provide adequate security, which allowed the Maoists to target the Congress leaders.
Former Chhattisgarh chief minister and BJP national vice-president Raman Singh rejected Baghel’s allegations. According to ANI, Singh said Baghel had not shown concern for the case and accused him of attempting to politicise the issue.
The convictions mark a significant development in the long-running legal proceedings into the Jhiram Valley attack. The sentences for the 10 convicted accused are expected to be pronounced by the special court on September 16.
