NIA Court Convicts 10 in Deadly 2013 Jhiram Valley Maoist Attack

A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Chhattisgarh's Bastar district on Saturday convicted all 10 accused in the 2013 Jhiram Valley Maoist attack case, one of the deadliest incidents of Left Wing Extremism in the country.

The attack took place on May 25, 2013, when Maoists ambushed the Congress party's 'Parivartan Rally' along a national highway in Jhiram Valley, under the Darbha police station limits in Bastar district. The assault left 29 people dead and more than 30 injured, virtually wiping out the Congress' top leadership in the state at the time.

Special Judge of the NIA court in Jagdalpur, Abhay Singh Rajput, pronounced the conviction of all 10 accused, including two women, defence lawyer Arvind Choudhary said.

The court has reserved its order on the quantum of punishment for September 16. During the lengthy trial, statements of 101 witnesses were recorded, according to the defence.

Choudhary said the accused would challenge the verdict before a higher court. “We will appeal against the verdict in the higher court,” he said, adding that the defence had not yet received a copy of the judgment and would determine the grounds for appeal after examining it.

The 2013 attack claimed the lives of several prominent Congress leaders, civilians and security personnel. Among those killed were then-Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and his son Dinesh, former Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Mahendra Karma, former Union minister Vidya Charan Shukla, and senior Congress leader and former MLA Uday Mudliyar.

The Jhiram Valley attack remains one of the most significant Maoist strikes in India, given the scale of casualties and the loss of several senior political figures. The latest court verdict comes more than 13 years after the deadly ambush.