More than 13 years after Maoists carried out one of their biggest-ever attacks in Chhattisgarh’s Jhiram Ghati, killing 29 people and virtually wiping out the Congress leadership in the state, 10 convicts have been sentenced to death by a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court.
10 Convicts Get Death In 2013 Maoist Attack In Chhattisgarh That Killed 29
Among those killed were senior Congress leaders, including then-state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh, former Leader of the Opposition in the assembly Mahendra Karma, former Union Minister Vidya Charan Shukla, and former MLA Uday Mudliyar. Several security personnel and civilians were also killed. On May 25, 2013, Maoists ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders, who were returning after attending a Parivartan Rally, on a national highway in Jhiram Ghati (valley), under the Darbha police station limits in Bastar district.
The sentence will be executed only after the high court’s order and the convicts will remain in the central jail until then. Statements from 101 witnesses were recorded and a large tranche of documents examined during the case. Earlier this month, Special Judge Abhay Singh Rajput of the NIA special court in Jagdalpur convicted 10 accused, including two women. On Wednesday, the court sentenced all 10 convicts to death under seven of the 24 charges against them and fined them Rs 800 each. They can appeal against the verdict in the high court within 30 days.
