Jhiram Ghati attack: NIA court convicts all 10 chargesheeted accused

An NIA Special Court convicted all 10 chargesheeted accused in the 2013 Jhiram Ghati attack case. The attack by CPI (Maoist) cadres on a Congress convoy in Chhattisgarh killed 27 people and injured over 35.

The NIA Special Court in Jagdalpur pronounced judgment convicting all 10 chargesheeted and under-trial accused persons in Jhiram Ghati attack.

According to the release, it was found that accused were guilty under sections 147, 148, 149, 121, 121(A), 122, 341, 302, 307, 396, 397, 427 and 120(B) of the IPC, sections 25 and 27 of the Arms Act, sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Explosive Substances Act, and sections 16, 18, 20, 38, 39 and 40 of the UA (P) Act, in NIA case .

The 2013 Maoist Attack

The case is related to the planned attack by armed cadres of the proscribed organisation CPI (Maoist) on the convoy of the INC Party's "Parivartan Yatra" in Jhiram Ghati, Darbha, District Bastar, Chhattisgarh, on NH-221 on May 25, 2013. The case relates to an IED blast, indiscriminate firing and grenade detonation, resulting in the on-the-spot death of 24 innocent civilians and police personnel, with more than 35 civilians and police personnel severely injured; 3 of the injured later succumbed to their injuries.

Cadres of CPI (Maoist) also looted arms and ammunition, walkie-talkie sets, mobile phones and other belongings from the deceased and injured, the release further said.

Investigation and Trial

NIA filed the chargesheet and a supplementary chargesheet against a total of 39 accused persons on September 25, 2014 and September 28, 2015, respectively. The initial trial against 10 chargesheeted accused persons was completed with the recording of evidence of 101 prosecution witnesses.

NIA's investigation established that armed cadres of the banned terrorist organisation CPI (Maoist), in connivance with local committees/divisions, were part of a criminal conspiracy to attack and kill senior Congress leaders and security personnel in the convoy of the "Parivartan Yatra," in pursuance of their Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)