10 convicted in Jhiram Valley naxal attack sentenced to death:Convoy of Chhattisgarh Congress leaders attacked in 2013, 29 killed

In the 2013 Jhiram Valley massacre case, the Jagdalpur NIA court has sentenced 10 convicts to death for the killing of 29 people, including Congress leaders. On 25 May, 2013, Naxals attacked the Congress’s Parivartan Yatra convoy in Jhiram Valley. The attack killed 29 people, including then state Congress president Nand Kumar Patel, Mahendra Karma and former Union minister Vidya Charan Shukla. The trial lasted around 13 years, during which statements from 101 witnesses were recorded and several documents were submitted as evidence. The death sentences will take effect only after the High Court’s approval. Until then, all 10 convicts will remain lodged in Jagdalpur Central Jail. They can challenge the verdict in the High Court within 30 days. The prosecution had sought the death penalty, while the defence argued for a lesser sentence. Relatives said: Kosa was not a Naxalite Kosa’s maternal cousin said that Kosa, who was convicted, was not a Naxalite. “Do Naxalites live in villages? When Kosa was arrested, he was cooking food at home. We have learnt that he has been sentenced to death. The lawyer has said that an appeal will have to be filed in the High Court within 30 days.” The prosecution lawyer, responding to the family’s allegations, said, “The court is guided by evidence, not allegations.” The court found the documents submitted by the NIA to be valid, which is why the death sentence was handed down. Statements from 101 witnesses were recorded. Many other people were named in the FIR. They include both unidentified and named individuals. They will be identified. 11 people had been arrested. One died during the trial. Ten people have been sentenced. Jhiram Naxalite attack took place on 25 May 2013 13 years ago, the Congress was taking out its Parivartan Yatra in Bastar. On the evening of 25 May 2013, the procession was returning from Sukma. As the convoy passed through the Jhiram Valley in the Darbha area, Maoists ambushed it. The attack began with an IED blast. The road was then blocked by felling trees, and the convoy was fired upon from the forest. Within a short time, the entire area echoed with the sound of gunfire. The Naxals separated the leaders from the security personnel. Mahendra Karma was the Maoists’ main target. Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh Patel, and several others were also killed. In a single attack, almost the entire top state leadership of the Congress at the time was wiped out. Names of Congress leaders who lost their lives Nand Kumar Patel (Congress state president at the time), Mahendra Karma (former Leader of the Opposition), Vidya Charan Shukla (former Union minister), Dinesh Patel, Uday Mudaliar, Bhagirathi Paliya, Rajkumar, Gopichand Madhwani, Allanoor, Yogendra Sharma, Rajesh Chandrakar, Manoj Joshi, Abhishek Golcha, Ganpath Nag, Sada Singh, Chandrhas Dhruv, Deepak Upadhyay, Tarun Deshmukh, Prahlad, Chander Ram Manjhi, Paitrik Khalkho, Pawan Kondra, Siyaram Singh, police personnel-Head Constable Prafful Shukla, Ashok Kumar, Rahul Pratap Singh and Immanuel Kerketta. They also looted weapons after carrying out the attack The Naxalites also took possession of the convoy vehicles and the weapons of the security personnel who were killed. According to the NIA chargesheet dated 25 September 2014, after the attack they looted a 9mm pistol with two magazines and 20 rounds, two AK-47 rifles with 14 magazines and 455 rounds, 10 hand grenades, walkie-talkies and other devices. A forensic examination of the explosives recovered from the site also found that substances such as ammonium nitrate, PETN and amatol had been used. Bhupesh Baghel said: Evidence of the conspiracy is in my pocket Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has long maintained that this was not merely a Naxalite attack but a major conspiracy. He has also repeatedly said that the evidence of the Jhiram conspiracy is in his pocket. Senior journalist Sunil Kumar considers this the most important question. He said that Bhupesh Baghel is a senior Congress leader, has served as the state party president and has also been the chief minister. As a responsible leader of a party that lost a large part of its top leadership in Jhiram, if he has evidence of a conspiracy, he should present it. Were 10 lower-cadre members solely responsible for the entire conspiracy? The Jhiram attack was not an ordinary Maoist incident. The target was the Congress’s Parivartan Yatra, and the attack wiped out the state Congress’s top political leadership. This raises another major question: Was the entire plan for such a large-scale attack limited to only the 10 people whom the court has convicted? Senior journalist Sudeep Thakur says that, at first glance, the 10 people convicted appear to be members of the lower cadre of the Naxalite organisation. This raises the question: was there a larger network behind the planning and execution of such a major political attack? At what level was the master plan drawn up? Who decided the targets? If the attack was so major, the natural questions are: At what level was its master plan drawn up? Who decided the targets? How was information about the convoy obtained? How did the Naxalites learn about the presence of so many senior leaders? At what level were the attack’s preparations made? The NIA had investigated the role of different cadres and military units of the banned CPI (Maoist) in the case. However, the current verdict has resulted in the conviction of the 10 accused who faced trial. This raises the question: Has the full picture of the network behind the attack emerged? Where did the Intelligence System fail? According to senior journalist Sudeep Thakur, it is not enough to look only at the Maoists’ role in the Jhiram case. A major question also concerns the intelligence failure and the system’s responsibility. Such a large political convoy was passing through an extremely sensitive area of Bastar. The Maoists launched an attack involving such a large number of people. This raises the question of where the security arrangements failed. Was there any prior intelligence input?
If there was, why was no action taken on it? If there was no input, where did the intelligence system fail? Does the verdict that has been delivered not establish the accountability of those responsible? Sudeep Thakur says the current verdict does not clearly establish the system’s lapses or who was responsible for them. Senior Naxalite leaders were not questioned The family of Mahendra Karma, who was killed in Jheeram, has also been raising questions about the investigation. Senior journalist Sudeep Thakur said Mahendra Karma’s daughter had also questioned why the NIA did not question her, even though she was the first to reach the scene of the incident. In addition, there were several other people and witnesses whom the NIA never summoned for questioning during the investigation. 4,184-page inquiry commission report still not made public One of the most intriguing and unresolved chapters in the Jhiram story is the report of the judicial inquiry commission. In 2013, the then BJP government set up the commission under the chairmanship of Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra. The commission conducted hearings for several years. In 2021, it submitted a report of around 4,184 pages to the Governor. But a new controversy began after the report was submitted. The then Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel said the report was incomplete and therefore would not be made public. After this, a decision was taken to continue the commission with a new chairperson and member. Justice Satish K. Agnihotri was appointed the new chairperson and Justice G. Minhajuddin a member. New points were also added to the scope of the inquiry. However, a case challenging this decision reached the High Court. In 2022, the Chhattisgarh High Court stayed the functioning of the reconstituted inquiry commission until further orders. In other words, one inquiry into Jhiram was conducted at the NIA level and another at the judicial commission level. Political accusations and counter-accusations continued between the two as well. But the complete picture is still not clear to the public. 10 sentenced, but 33 still absconding The court has found Pramila Modiyam, Chaitu Lekam alias Munna, Sumitra Punem, Modiyam Mukka, Mandavi Kosa Kawasi alias Kosaram, Ayata Markam, Madakami Deva, Joga Madakami, Banjami Sanna alias Chamru alias Denga and Mahadev Nag guilty. Several other accused named in the case are still absconding. Around 33 accused are reportedly beyond the court’s reach. Some of them later surrendered in Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Telangana. According to investigation records, Thippiri Tirupati alias Devji was a senior commander in the Maoist organisation’s Regional Command (SRUC) at the time of the incident. Barse Sukka alias Deva was the secretary of the Darbha Division Committee and later became the commander of Battalion-1. The investigation has linked both men to the Jhiram attack. The NIA made public information on 19 Naxalites, including Devji and Deva, in a wanted notice issued on 23 December 2023. Devji’s name and photograph were also included. Devji surrendered in Telangana on 24 February, while Deva surrendered in Telangana on 2 January. After surrendering, Thippiri Tirupati Devji also took the Intermediate second-year Telugu examination in May. It is alleged that the police have not questioned him in this case so far. Katkam Sudarshan was also named as an accused in the case, but he died in 2023. The most wanted accused, Muppalla Lakshmana Rao alias Ganapathy, remains at large. At the time of the incident, he was the general secretary of the CPI (Maoist). ​