Photo Source: ANI
10 sentenced to death for 2013 Jhiram Ghati Maoist attack that killed 29
Babushahi Bureau
New Delhi, September 16, 2026: More than 13 years after a Maoist ambush on a Congress convoy in Chhattisgarh’s Jhiram Ghati left 29 people dead, a Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) Court in Jagdalpur has sentenced all 10 convicted accused to death.
The attack took place on May 25, 2013, when Maoists ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders returning from a Parivartan Yatra in Bastar’s Jhiram Ghati area under Darbha police station limits.
Several prominent Congress leaders were among those killed, including then Chhattisgarh Congress president Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh Patel, former Leader of Opposition Mahendra Karma, former Union minister Vidya Charan Shukla and former MLA Uday Mudliyar. Security personnel and civilians were also among the victims.
The NIA court had convicted the 10 accused earlier this month following a lengthy trial. The prosecution examined 101 witnesses and presented a substantial body of documentary evidence during the proceedings.
The court on Wednesday awarded the death penalty to all 10 convicts on multiple charges and imposed a fine of Rs 800 each. The sentences will not be carried out unless upheld by the High Court. The convicts can challenge the verdict before the High Court within 30 days.
According to the prosecution’s case, armed cadres of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), along with local Maoist units, were involved in a conspiracy to target the Congress convoy as part of the organisation’s Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign.
The Jhiram Ghati attack virtually decimated the top Congress leadership in Chhattisgarh at the time and became one of the most significant Maoist attacks targeting political leaders in the country.
The case has also remained politically contentious, with former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel questioning aspects of the investigation and alleging that a larger conspiracy behind the attack had not been fully exposed. Former Chief Minister Raman Singh has criticised Baghel’s comments, accusing him of politicising the issue.
With the death sentences now pronounced, the case will proceed through the appellate process before any execution can take place.