Jhiram Valley massacre: 10 convicted

A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Jagdalpur, Chhattisgarh, on Saturday, September 5, 2026, convicted all 10 surviving accused in the nearly 13-year-old Jhiram Valley massacre case. The court has scheduled September 16 for determining and pronouncing the sentences. The verdict marks a significant development in one of the deadliest Maoist attacks in the state, which occurred on May 25, 2013. On that day, Maoists ambushed a convoy of the Congress party's "Parivartan Yatra" in the Jhiram Valley area of Bastar district. The attack, described as meticulously planned, claimed the lives of 29 people, including senior Congress leaders, civilians, and security personnel. Among those killed were former Union Minister Vidyacharan Shukla, former Leader of Opposition Mahendra Karma, then Chhattisgarh Pradesh Congress Committee president Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh Patel, and senior Congress leader Uday Mudliyar. The incident virtually wiped out the state Congress's top leadership at the time. During the trial, the prosecution examined 101 witnesses. Initially, 11 individuals were accused, but proceedings continued against 10 after one died during the trial.