RAIPUR: A Special National Investigation Agency (NIA) Court in Jagdalpur (Bastar) deferred its highly anticipated verdict in the infamous 2013 Jhiram Valley massacre till September 5.
The final arguments in the prolonged trial concluded on August 12, and the court was expected to deliver its judgment on August 31. The postponement of verdict has apparently prolonged the anxiety of victim families, political circles, and citizens across Bastar.
On May 25, 2013, ahead of the Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, a convoy of the Congress Party's ‘Parivartan Yatra’ returning from a massive rally in Sukma was attacked by armed Maoists in the dense, winding forests of Jhiram valley.
At the time of the strike, the BJP was in power in the state led by Chief Minister Raman Singh in Chhattisgarh. The ruthless attack wiped out then entire top-tier leadership of the Chattisgarh Congress.
In the incident 38 individuals sustained grievous injuries while 31 people killed, among them were then-Chhattisgarh Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh Patel, former Union Minister Vidya Charan Shukla (who succumbed to severe bullet wounds during treatment), senior Congress leader and Salwa Judum architect Mahendra Karma, and former MLA Uday Mudliyar, alongside several security personnel and party workers.
The NIA filed its initial charge sheet on September 25, 2014, against 9 arrested accused. A supplementary charge sheet naming 35 accused was submitted on September 28, 2015, following the arrest of two more suspects.
Out of the 11 arrested accused who faced trial, one passed away during the proceedings. A total of 33 named accused were reported as absconding. The court recorded testimonies from 101 witnesses before closing final arguments.
Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel launched a scathing attack, accusing the central agency of a deliberate cover-up and allegedly shielded the real conspirators behind the Jhiram massacre.
As the countdown to the September 5 verdict begins, the postponement has triggered a fierce war of words between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress in Chhattisgarh.
Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said “Maoist violence in Bastar has claimed the lives of thousands of innocent citizens, public representatives, and brave jawans.”
Striking back, he condemned the opposition’s rhetoric, stating that those who treat notorious Maoist terror commander Hidma as an icon are themselves 'ideological Naxalites' (Dimagi Naxali).