NIA Special Court Awards Death Penalty to All 10 Convicts in 2013 Jhiram Ghati Maoist Attack Case

Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh: The NIA Special Court in Jagdalpur on Wednesday sentenced all 10 convicts to death in the Jhiram Ghati Naxal attack case, one of the deadliest assaults on political leaders and security personnel in Chhattisgarh.

The court had earlier found the accused guilty on September 5 under various sections of the Indian Penal Code, Arms Act, Explosive Substances Act and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. It had reserved its order on the quantum of punishment, which was pronounced on Wednesday.

The case stems from a planned attack by armed cadres of the banned CPI (Maoist) on the convoy of the Congress party’s “Parivartan Yatra” at Jheeram Ghati in Darbha, Bastar district, on May 25, 2013. According to an NIA press release, the Maoists carried out an IED blast, indiscriminate firing and grenade attacks, killing 24 civilians and police personnel on the spot. More than 35 others were severely injured, of whom three later succumbed to their injuries. The attackers also looted arms, ammunition, walkie-talkie sets, mobile phones and other belongings from the victims.

The NIA had filed a chargesheet against nine accused on September 25, 2014, and a supplementary chargesheet against 30 more on September 28, 2015, taking the total to 39 accused. The trial against the 10 chargesheeted accused was completed after the examination of 101 prosecution witnesses. One arrested accused died in judicial custody during the proceedings.

NIA investigations established that the armed cadres of the proscribed organisation, acting in connivance with local committees, had conspired to attack and kill senior Congress leaders and security personnel as part of their tactical counter-offensive campaign (TCOC).

Reacting to the verdict, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai described the death sentences as a victory for justice.

“The barbaric massacre in Jhiram Ghati is an agonising chapter in Chhattisgarh’s history whose bitter memories will continue to torment us for a long time. In this heinous violence, we also lost senior leaders of the state, security personnel, and ordinary citizens. The death sentence handed down by the Jagdalpur NIA Court to the ten Maoists found guilty in the case is a victory for justice,” he said in a post on X.

He also praised the NIA’s investigation and claimed progress against Maoist violence under the central leadership.

“Today, under the iron resolve and steadfast leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, we have freed the state from the clutches of armed Maoism. Bastar, which has endured Maoist violence for decades, is now moving forward toward a new era of peace, trust, and development,” Sai added.

The Chief Minister further called for introspection, particularly targeting those who “engage in politics over the corpses of tribal society and those who provide intellectual and ideological support to terrorism.”

He warned: “The intellectual Naxals should also realise that giving shelter or refuge to any terrorism for vested interests always leads to destruction for everyone. The Bhasmasur of terrorism that fights against Indian democracy and the Constitution does not respect the boundaries of any ideology or region. Understanding this, they should desist from their actions…”

(With inputs from ANI)

Also Read: 'Illegal and Invalid': India Rejects Pakistan-China Boundary Joint Commission