Jagdalpur, September 05 (H.S.): The Special NIA Court at the District and Sessions Court in Jagdalpur on Saturday delivered a significant verdict in the nearly 13-year-old Jhiram Valley massacre case, holding all 10 accused guilty.

Special NIA Court Judge Ajay Singh Rajput pronounced the verdict in the case, which has been closely followed by the families of the victims awaiting a judicial conclusion for years.

During the trial, the prosecution examined and recorded the statements of 101 witnesses before the court. Senior advocate Dinesh Panigrahi represented the government in the case.

The prosecution had initially initiated legal proceedings against 11 accused in connection with the Jhiram Valley massacre. One of the principal accused died during the course of the trial, following which proceedings continued against the remaining 10 accused.

After completing its investigation, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had filed a chargesheet in the case. Nearly 13 years after the massacre, the Special NIA Court on September 5 pronounced its final verdict and convicted all 10 surviving accused.

The convicted accused have been identified as Pramila Modiyam, Chaitu Lekam alias Munna, Sumitra, Punem Modiyam, Mukka Mandavi, Kosa Kawasi alias Kosaram, Ayat Markam, Madkami Deva, Jog Madkami, and Banjami Sena alias Chamru alias Denga Mahadev.

The Jhiram Valley massacre took place on May 25, 2013, when Maoists ambushed a convoy carrying Congress leaders and workers who were returning from Sukma as part of the party’s Parivartan Yatra. The attack was carried out in the Jhiram Valley area of Darbha in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region.

A total of 32 people, including several senior Congress leaders, were killed in the meticulously planned attack, while several others sustained injuries.

Among those killed were former Union Minister Vidya Charan Shukla, former Leader of the Opposition Mahendra Karma, then Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee president Nand Kumar Patel, and his son Dinesh Patel, along with several other prominent political figures.

The massacre sent shockwaves across Chhattisgarh and remains one of the deadliest political attacks carried out by Maoists in the state. The court’s verdict on Saturday marks a significant development in a case that has remained pending for nearly 13 years.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar