Jhiram Valley attack that nearly wiped out Chhattisgarh Congress leadership planned months ahead: Court

The NIA court said cadres surveyed the route, stockpiled food and set up temporary command centres before the May 25, 2013 attack.

The 2013 Jhiram Valley Maoist attack was planned nearly three months in advance, with the CPI (Maoist) surveying the route, arranging food and logistics, mobilising cadres and conducting a rehearsal before ambushing a Congress convoy, according to the detailed order of a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Chhattisgarh’s Jagdalpur.

The 2013 ambush killed 27 people, including Congress leaders Nand Kumar Patel, Mahendra Karma and former Union minister Vidya Charan Shukla. (AFP FILE/Representative Image)

The court sentenced all 10 convicts to death after a trial on September 16 and released the detailed order on Friday.

The attack killed 27 people, including senior Congress leaders Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh Patel, Mahendra Karma and former Union minister Vidya Charan Shukla.

Maoist operation took shape at February 2013 meeting

According to the NIA investigation, the conspiracy was hatched at a South Regional Unified Command meeting held between February 16 and 25, 2013. A special team was formed for the operation, with Barse Sukka alias Deva, then a member of the Darbha Divisional Committee, assigned responsibility.

Members of the Kanger Valley Local Committee, including convicted accused Sumitra, Mahadev Nag and Mukka Mandavi, along with Jan Militia members, held meetings to arrange food and logistics. Around 25 sacks of rice, each weighing about 50 kg, were collected from Koleng village and stored at Nag’s house before being taken to a temporary Maoist camp, the order, seen by HT, said.

Route surveyed and ambush rehearsed before attack

The Maoists surveyed the Sukma-Jagdalpur highway and selected the ambush site. A rehearsal was held in a forest near Ekkam-Chakpal six to seven days before the attack, it said. On the nights of May 22 and 23, around 100 armed Maoists and Jan Militia members established temporary command centres on both sides of the road.

The Congress Parivartan Yatra left Sukma for Jagdalpur around 3 pm on May 25. When the convoy reached Jhiram Valley, an explosion took place and Maoists opened fire from both sides. The order records around 206 bullet marks on vehicles.

Attackers sought Mahendra Karma before killing him

One witness said the attackers repeatedly asked, “Where is Karma?” Karma eventually surrendered and identified himself. According to the order, he was taken towards the hill, shot and attacked with sharp-edged weapons. Medical evidence corroborated injuries to his body.

The evidence also showed that Patel and his son Dinesh were taken towards the hill after Patel identified himself as the state Congress president, and subsequently killed. The court rejected the defence argument that the accused had assisted Maoists out of fear. It held they had actively participated in the conspiracy.