Chhattisgarh. A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Jagdalpur town of the district on Wednesday convicted 10 Maoists on charges of criminal conspiracy and murder for their alleged involvement in the Jhiram Valley attack and sentenced them to death. The court found all the accused guilty in seven out of 24 sections and awarded death penalty. In other sections, the culprits have been sentenced to life imprisonment, fine and other punishments.
In the 2013 attack, armed cadres of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) surrounded and attacked a Congress convoy, killing at least 27 people and almost completely demoralizing the party's state leadership. 38 people were injured in this attack.
NIA Judge Ajay Singh Rajput convicted the accused under several sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act. Death sentence was awarded under IPC section 120B and murder (section 302).
The 10 people convicted include Pramila Modiam, Chaitu Lekam alias Munna, Sumita alias Punem Modiam, Mukka Mandvi, Kosa Kawasi alias Kosaram, Aytha Markam, Madkami Deva, Joga Madkami, Banjami Sanna alias Chamru and Mahadev Nag. The 11th accused died during the trial, while the other 28, who were named as accused in the chargesheet, are listed as wanted.
Prominent Maoists who have been chargesheeted in the case but are shown as wanted accused include CPI (Maoist) politburo member Thippiri Tirupati alias Devuji, who surrendered in Telangana in February this year; Barse Dewa, who replaced Madwi Hidma as commander of PLGA Battalion 1 and surrendered in January this year; and Ganesh Uike, central committee member of CPI (Maoist), who was killed in an encounter in Odisha in December 2025.
The Jhiram Valley attack occurred on May 25, 2013, when over 150 Maoists ambushed a Congress Parivartan rally convoy and killed several people, including Mahendra Karma, who was instrumental in setting up the banned anti-Maoist militia Salwa Judum; State Congress president Nand Kumar Patel and his son Dinesh; And senior party leader and former MLA Uday Mudaliar was also killed. 10 security personnel were among the 27 killed. Police records show that the Maoists also looted one 9 mm pistol with two magazines and 20 rounds, two AK-47 rifles with 14 magazines and 455 rounds, 10 hand grenades and communication equipment.