Jagdalpur: More than 13 years after the deadly Jhiram Ghati Maoist attack in Chhattisgarh, a Special NIA Court in Jagdalpur has sentenced 10 convicted CPI (Maoist) cadres to death. The court had found all 10 accused guilty on September 5. The convictions were based on charges under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, the Indian Penal Code, the Arms Act and the Explosive Substances Act. The court announced the punishment on Wednesday.
The attack took place on May 25, 2013, when a Congress Parivartan Yatra convoy was passing through the Jhiram Ghati area of Bastar. According to the National Investigation Agency, Maoist cadres launched the assault at around 4.15 pm on the convoy travelling along NH-221. The attackers first triggered an explosive device and then opened fire on those travelling in the convoy.
Grenades were also used during the assault. The attack left 27 people dead, including 10 police personnel, while 38 others sustained injuries, according to NIA records.
Senior Congress Leaders Among Those Killed
Several prominent Congress leaders were among the victims of the attack. Then Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and former state minister Mahendra Karma were killed in the ambush. Karma was also associated with the anti-Maoist Salwa Judum movement.
Former Union minister Vidya Charan Shukla suffered critical injuries in the attack. He later succumbed to his injuries.The Maoists also allegedly took away weapons, ammunition and communication equipment from the victims following the attack, according to the NIA investigation.
How the Attack Took Place
The Congress convoy was returning after a political programme organised as part of the Parivartan Yatra. As the vehicles moved through the heavily forested Jhiram Ghati region, Maoist cadres reportedly launched a coordinated ambush. The explosion brought the convoy to a halt, after which the attackers opened fire.
Political leaders, party workers and security personnel were caught in the attack. The NIA investigation concluded that the assault was not an isolated incident but part of a larger conspiracy allegedly involving CPI (Maoist) cadres and local committees of the banned organisation. Investigators also linked the attack to the Maoists’ Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign, or TCOC.
NIA Takes Over Investigation
The Centre transferred the investigation to the NIA following the attack.
The agency submitted its first chargesheet before the Special NIA Court in Jagdalpur on September 25, 2014. The chargesheet named nine arrested accused. A supplementary chargesheet was filed on September 28, 2015, against 30 additional accused. This took the total number of chargesheeted accused to 39. The prosecution subsequently examined more than 100 witnesses during the trial involving the 10 accused who were convicted.
Verdict Comes 13 Years Later
The latest verdict comes more than 13 years after one of the most deadly Maoist attacks targeting political leaders in India.The court convicted the 10 accused on September 5, 2026, and reserved its order on the quantum of punishment.
On September 16, the Special NIA Court pronounced the death sentences. The NIA has maintained that the convicted persons were associated with CPI (Maoist) and were involved in the planning and execution of the attack. Proceedings relating to other accused are separate from the conviction and sentencing of these 10 individuals. The agency has also stated that its investigation into absconding accused is continuing.
