NIA Court Convicts 10 Accused in Jhiram Ghati 2013 Naxal Attack Case; To Pronounce Sentence on September 16

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court has convicted 10 accused in the Jhiram Ghati 2013 naxal attack case. The quantum of sentence is yet to be pronounced.

The Naxalite attack took place in Jhiram Valley, Bastar, on May 25, 2013, when armed Maoists ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders returning from a "Parivartan Yatra" ahead of the 2013 Assembly Elections.

The attack claimed around 29-32 lives, with different reports citing varying numbers based on the victims who later succumbed to their injuries. Congress leaders, including then state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, former Leader of Opposition Mahendra Karma and former Union minister Vidya Charan Shukla, were among those killed in the attack.

The Bastar police initially registered the case, which was subsequently handed over to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) days after the attack, following allegations by the Congress party of security lapses on the part of the state government and police.

The NIA filed its chargesheet in the special court at Jagdalpur in September 2014 and, over the course of its investigation, presented 101 witnesses along with supporting documents.

In 2023, the agency also issued a public advertisement seeking further information related to the case.

The case has seen parallel tracks of investigation and inquiry over the years, including two judicial commissions constituted to probe the incident, as well as separate investigations carried out by the NIA and a Special Investigation Team (SIT) at different levels.

The matter has also seen legal battles beyond the trial court, as in 2020, the Supreme Court dismissed a plea by the Chhattisgarh government challenging a judicial commission's refusal to examine additional witnesses.

The final verdict was originally expected on August 31 but was deferred by the special court to September 5.

The verdict holds political significance as, over many years, Congress and BJP leaders have been trading allegations against each other over the investigation.

Former CM Bhupesh Bhagel has alleged that the NIA is hiding the facts related to the Jhiram incident and not letting the state government probe the matter. He has also alleged that the previous BJP government failed to provide security, due to which the Jhiram attack took place and "our leaders got martyred".

As a counter to Bhagel's claims, former BJP national vice-president Raman Singh has alleged that neither he (Bhupesh Baghel) cares about the report nor about the action taken; he just "wants to do politics over this issue."