Chhattisgarh's special NIA court has finally delivered its verdict in the 2013 Jhiram Ghati Naxal ambush, one of the deadliest attacks on political leaders in the state's history. After a legal process spanning thirteen years, the court has found all 10 accused guilty in the case. Of the original 11 people named as accused, one died during the course of the trial, leaving the remaining 10 to face the court's judgment.
How the attack unfolded in 2013
On 25 May 2013, Naxals carried out a meticulously planned ambush on a Congress convoy travelling through the Jhiram Ghati area of Bastar as part of the party's Parivartan Yatra. The attack claimed the lives of several senior Congress leaders and security personnel, including state Congress president Nandkumar Patel, former union minister Vidyacharan Shukla, senior leader Mahendra Karma and Uday Mudliyar, along with other party workers and jawans on duty. The scale of political leadership lost in a single strike made it one of the most shocking political assassinations the country has witnessed.
Inside the court's verdict
Special judge Ajay Singh Rajpoot, who presided over the case, held that the prosecution had established every serious charge levelled against the accused, including the killing of 27 people and attempted murder charges involving more than 15 others. Final arguments in the case were concluded over three days, on 10, 11 and 12 August this year, after which the court reserved its judgment. The verdict was originally scheduled to be pronounced on 31 August, but that date was later pushed to 5 September.
Former minister questions the outcome
Reacting to the verdict, former minister Shiv Kumar Dahariya said, "the souls of Jhiram's martyrs will also be weeping over this outcome." Dahariya alleged that the ambush took place under a BJP government and described it as a targeted killing, further claiming that BJP figures were themselves involved in the plot. He also pointed out that more than 200 Naxals were said to have taken part in the attack, yet punishment has been handed down to only 10 people. According to him, the Congress party remains completely dissatisfied with the court's decision.
