Jhiram Valley Maoist attack: Verdict after 13 years, but same questions remain

Story so far: On September 5, a special court of the National Investigation Agency in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh found 10 accused guilty in the 2013 Jhiram Valley Maoist attack case in which at least 27 people — including senior Congress leaders like Vidya Charan Shukla, Nand Kumar Patel and Mahendra Karma — were killed and at least 30 others injured.

While the verdict marks the end of a 13-year legal battle and comes months after the central government declared India free from Maoism, victims’ families and top Congress leaders in the state said their quest for justice remains unfulfilled.

The displeasure hinges mainly on three points: the profile of the convicts, an alleged political conspiracy, which he claims was not investigated by the NIA, and fixing the responsibility of the then Bharatiya Janata Party government in Chhattisgarh at a time when opposition Congress leaders and security personnel were attacked by a large group of Maoists. However, these questions did not arise after the verdict and were raised during the investigation and the trial.

Incident

According to the NIA, a convoy of about 20 vehicles carrying Congress leaders was attacked by members of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), who first detonated a landmine, the impact of which blocked the path of vehicles of the Parivartan Yatra, a political campaign.

Also Read: VC Shukla dies of injuries sustained in Maoist attack

Indiscriminate firing, grenade lobbing and custodial killing followed, resulting in the on-the-spot death of 24 innocent persons and serious injuries to more than 35 persons. The deceased included senior Congress leaders Nand Kumar Patel, Mahendra Karma, Uday Mudaliyar, Dinesh Patel and 10 serving policemen.

Also Read: Mahendra Karma Killed, VC Shukla Injured In Maoist Attack

Later, the three victims, who included former Union minister and veteran politician VC Shukla, succumbed to their injuries in different hospitals. In the course of the attack, the Maoists looted nine AK-47 rifles, seven INSAS rifles, two SLR cameras, four 9mm pistols, along with magazines and ammunition of the deceased injured policemen and also personal belongings of the victims and fled away.

Motive

The main target of the attack, the Maoists later said in a press release, was Mahendra Karma, a former leader of the opposition in the Chhattisgarh Assembly, for his role in Salwa Judum, a state-sponsored anti-Maoist insurgency movement that involved arming local youth.

The movement, which began in 2005, was allegedly state-sponsored and was banned by the Supreme Court, which said it violated constitutional rights to equality and life and personal liberty. Moreover, it led to internal displacement of tribals from certain pockets who were caught between the state-backed special police and Maoist insurgents. Despite opposition from human rights activists, Karma has garnered political support across the spectrum for his role in Salwa Judum.

Even before Salwa Judum, Karma led non-violent campaigns against Maoism and survived earlier attacks on his life. However, in May 2013, according to eyewitnesses, he was tied up and taken some distance before being shot dead in a temple. While Karma started his political journey with the Communist Party of India and later moved to the Congress, since his death his family legacy has been carried on by his wife, a former MLA, and three of his nine children.

Who was convicted

Pramila Modiyam, Chaitu Lekam Urf Munna, Sumitra aka Sumitra Punem Modiyam, Mukka Mandvi, Kosa Kavasi aka Kosaram, Aayata Markam, Madkami Deva, Joga Madkami, Banjami Snna aka Chamru aka Denga and Mahadev Nag – all command mostly ten armed or less armed soldiers. A detailed copy of the judgment is awaited.

Why the dispute

Senior Congress leaders such as former chief minister Bhupesh Baghel, as well as the families of the victims, including Karma’s children, said the NIA had not fully addressed their concerns. Over the years, the party has claimed that there was a massive political conspiracy behind the incident, which was never investigated by the NIA.

When Mr. Baghel was chief minister, Jitendra Mudaliar — son of Congress leader and former MLA Uday Mudaliar — lodged a complaint, on the basis of which the Chhattisgarh police registered a second FIR. However, the NIA objected to this FIR and moved the Supreme Court against it. The Supreme Court delivered its verdict in November 2023, rejecting the NIA’s plea. But by then the BJP had returned to power in the state and the case was not investigated further, as they allege.

More twists and turns

They also raised questions about the judicial inquiry into the Jheeram Valley case. Mr Baghel claims that the mandate of the commission of inquiry set up by the Raman Singh-led BJP government in the immediate aftermath of the incident was limited to investigating “security lapses” rather than securing a conviction in a “criminal case”.

The report of the commission headed by Justice Prashant Mishra was submitted directly to the Governor and was not forwarded to the government in November 2021 when the Congress was in power.

Also Read: Jiram Valley Attack Suspect Among Three Naxal Holds

The then state government, led by Mr. Baghel, considered it incomplete and restructured the Commission under Justice Satish K. Agnihotri and Justice Gulam Minhajuddin. Dharamlal Kaushik, the then BJP state president, challenged this new commission in the Supreme Court and a stay order was issued against it based on his petition. This led the Congress to claim that the BJP leaders did not want an inquiry to be conducted.

On the other hand, BJP leaders like Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai are now saying that if the Congress leaders had any evidence, they should have handed it over to the NIA. They also point out that the case was handed over to the NIA when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance was in power.

Another question raised by the victims’ families is why no top Maoist leader has been convicted. The NIA took over the investigation of the case and charged 39 cadres of the banned outfit. Thippiri Tirupathi alias Devuji and Barse Deva, two senior Maoist leaders who had surrendered in the recent past, were also among the accused but were shown wanted.

He is among many top Maoist leaders who have either surrendered or been shot dead by security forces since 2024, when the Center set a March 31, 2026 deadline for eliminating Maoism from the country and intensified ground security operations across Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region.

There are people like Chhavindra Karma, son of the late Karma, who also demanded a narco-test of those in charge of security arrangements for the assembly, even the then Chief Minister or the former DGP. Some say there was at least an administrative lapse, but no accountability has been established.

What next

While the detailed judgment is yet to come out in the public domain and the quantum of punishment will be announced on September 16, the question of whether top Maoist leaders escape responsibility for such attacks by surrendering may linger. Unlike the political conspiracy angle which has created a political backlash from the ruling party, there is no official comment on this aspect from the state government or the NIA.

But government sources say surrender does not automatically lead to the withdrawal or closure of a criminal case. Any withdrawal from prosecution must be done in accordance with applicable law and subject to the approval of the appropriate court, they added.