13 years after Jhiram Ghati attack, NIA court convicts 10 Maoists

Thirteen years after the brutal Jhiram Ghati attack in Bastar, which claimed 27 lives and devastated Chhattisgarh's Congress leadership, a special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Jagdalpur has convicted 10 Maoist suspects. They will be sentenced on September 16. One accused died during the trial, while another 28, listed as accused in the chargesheet, have been declared wanted.

The convicted individuals include Pramila Modiyam, Chaitu Lekam, Sumita alias Punem Modiyam, Mukka Mandvi, Kosa Kavasi, Aayata Markam, Madkami Deva, Joga Madkami, Banjami Sanna, and Mahadev Nag. Among the high-profile Maoists implicated in the case but still at large are Thippiri Tirupathi, Barse Deva, and Ganesh Uikey. The court's decision comes amid criticism that the ruling might be incomplete, with former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel arguing that the NIA wrongly omitted the names of top Maoist leaders from the initial FIR and never probed the alleged political conspiracy behind the attack.