Special NIA court convicts 10 accused in 2013 Jheeram Valley massacre

A special NIA court in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh has convicted ten Maoists for the 2013 Sukma massacre in the Jheeram Valley. At least 27 people including top Congress leaders from the state were killed in this Naxal attack.

Also read | Chhattisgarh expands scope, Jheeram Ghati probe term in 2013

The ten convicts — Pramila Modiyam, Chaitu Lekam alias Munna, Sumitra alias Sumitra Punem Modiyam, Mukka Mandvi, Kosa Kavasi alias Kosaram, Aayata Markam, Madkami Deva, Joga Madkami, Banjami Snna alias Chamru alias Denga and Mahadev Nag are mostly lower-level commands.

Arvind Choudhary, the defense counsel for the convicted accused, confirmed the verdict and said that the court will announce the amount of the sentence on September 16. He added that his clients will appeal the verdict to the High Court.

Shiv Singh Thakur, who was injured in the attack, said that while he respected the court’s decision, the NIA had only completed the formalities by arresting and bringing to trial the low-level Maoists. “They asked the names of our leaders before shooting those victims. There is a definite conspiracy that needs to be exposed; only then will we get closure,” he told The Hindu.

The case relates to one of the deadliest Maoist attacks in the country, reported on 25 May 2013, when a large group of Maoists attacked a convoy of Congress leaders, about 10 km from Darbha police station in Sukma district. The convoy was returning from Sukma after holding a Parivartan Yatra rally, a political campaign through which the party targeted the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the parliamentary polls scheduled for later that year.

According to the prosecution, when the convoy approached the Jheeram Valley, CPI-Maoist cadres first detonated a landmine and created a crater on the road. The blast stopped the vehicles in the Parivartan Yatra convoy.

The landmine explosion was followed by indiscriminate firing, grenade attacks and targeted killings, resulting in the death of 24 people and the serious injury of more than 35 others, some of whom died later.

Among those killed were then State Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel and former opposition leader Mahendra Karma. Former Union Minister Vidya Charan Shukla was injured and later succumbed to his injuries. The main target was Mr. Karma. He led the Salwa Judum, a state-sponsored movement against the Maoist insurgency that included arming local youth. The movement was later declared illegal and unconstitutional by the Supreme Court.

The NIA took over the investigation of the case and charged 39 cadres of the banned outfit. Barse Sukka, alias Deva – a senior commander who surrendered to the Telangana Police in January this year – was tasked by the Darbha Divisional Committee and appointed as the commander-in-chief to carry out the attack by the top brass of the banned outfit, according to investigators.

Published – 05 Sep 2026 16:47 IST