• Source:JND
HighLights
  1. Special NIA court sentenced 10 Maoists to death.
  2. Conviction for 2013 Jhiram Ghati Congress convoy attack.
  3. Attack killed prominent Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh.

Jhiram Ghati Massacre Case: A special NIA court has sentenced 10 Maoists to death for their involvement in the Jhiram Ghati massacre. Special Judge Ajay Singh Rajput pronounced the sentence on Wednesday. All the convicts are currently lodged in Jagdalpur Central Jail. 

10 Maoists Sentenced To Death

The development comes after the NIA Special Court convicted all 10 surviving accused in the 2013 Jhiram Ghati Naxal attack on September 5. There were originally 11 accused in the case, but one died during the trial and investigation, while the 10 currently accused, including 2 women, are lodged in Jagdalpur Central Jail. 

What's The Case?

On May 25, 2013, heavily armed Maoist insurgents carried out a deadly ambush on a convoy of Congress leaders along a national highway in the Jhiram Valley, located within the Darbha police station limits of Chhattisgarh's Bastar district. The political leaders and party workers were returning from "Parivartan Rally" organised ahead of the state assembly elections.

The attack resulted in the tragic deaths of nearly 30 individuals, virtually wiping out the top brass of the state's Congress leadership, including prominent tribal leader Mahendra Karma, state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, and former Union Minister Vidya Charan Shukla. The NIA’s charge sheet, however, officially listed 27 fatalities.

ALSO READ: Jhiram Ghati 2013 Naxal Attack: NIA Court Convicts All 10 Accused For Killing 32, Including Congress Leaders

Back then, the BJP government, led by Raman Singh had handed over the probe to the NIA within two days of the attack. The Chhattisgarh government had also constituted a judicial commission headed by then Chhattisgarh High Court judge Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra to probe the attack.

Following an extensive investigation, the NIA filed a nearly 1,000-page charge sheet before the court in 2015, naming 11 people as accused. During the lengthy trial, the prosecution examined 101 witnesses to establish its case, while the defence did not produce any witnesses.

ALSO READ: JP Nadda Alleges Congress Insiders’ Role In 2013 Jhiram Ghati Maoist Attack At Chhattisgarh Event


Also In News