Kumar Bahukhandi
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai described the death sentence awarded to 10 Maoists convicted in the Jhiram Ghati massacre case as a “victory of justice” and paid tribute to those who lost their lives in the 2013 attack-Photo Credit:channel24india.com(File Photo)
CM says painful memories of the massacre will endure; credits PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah’s ‘iron resolve and firm leadership’ for freeing Chhattisgarh from the grip of armed Maoism
Key Highlights
- Special NIA Court in Jagdalpur awards death sentence to all 10 Maoists convicted in the Jhiram Ghati attack case.
- CM Vishnu Deo Sai calls the punishment a “victory of justice” and praises the NIA investigation.
- Sai describes the Jhiram Ghati massacre as a painful chapter in Chhattisgarh’s history.
- CM credits PM Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah’s “iron resolve and firm leadership” for the State’s progress against armed Maoism.
- Says Bastar is moving towards an era of “peace, confidence and development.”
- Calls the verdict an occasion for introspection for those he accused of giving intellectual and ideological support to terror.
- Sai pays tribute to the leaders, security personnel and civilians who lost their lives in the attack.
Raipur: Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai on Wednesday, September 16, 2026 described the death sentence awarded to all 10 Maoists convicted in the Jhiram Ghati massacre case as a “victory of justice”, saying the brutal attack remains a painful chapter in Chhattisgarh’s history whose bitter memories will continue to cause anguish for years.
A Special NIA Court in Jagdalpur sentenced the 10 convicts to death on September 16. They had been convicted on September 5 for their roles in the May 25, 2013 Maoist attack on the Congress party’s Parivartan Yatra convoy in Jhiram Ghati.
Reacting to the verdict in a post on X, Sai recalled the lives lost in the attack, including senior political leaders, security personnel and civilians.
“The brutal massacre at Jhiram Ghati is that painful chapter in Chhattisgarh’s history whose bitter memories will continue to cause us pain for a long time,” the Chief Minister said
He said the State had lost senior leaders, security personnel and ordinary citizens in what he described as “heinous Communist violence.”
‘Death Sentence Is a Victory of Justice’
Welcoming the court’s decision, Sai said the punishment represented justice for one of the State’s most traumatic incidents of Maoist violence.
“The death sentence awarded by the Jagdalpur NIA Court to all 10 Maoists found guilty in the case is a victory of justice. The manner in which the NIA took this investigation to its conclusion also deserves appreciation,” Sai said.
Independent reports confirm that the Special NIA Court sentenced all 10 convicts to death on Wednesday. The attack was carried out by armed cadres of the banned CPI (Maoist), who targeted the Congress convoy using an IED, gunfire and grenades.
The 2013 attack claimed the lives of prominent Congress leaders, including then State Congress president Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh Patel, Mahendra Karma and former MLA Uday Mudliyar. Former Union minister Vidya Charan Shukla, who was critically injured in the attack, subsequently died.
Sai Credits Modi-Shah Leadership
The Chief Minister said Chhattisgarh had undergone a significant transformation in its fight against armed Maoism and credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah for the change.
“Today, under the iron resolve and firm leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, we have freed the State from the grip of armed Maoism,” Sai said.
Referring specifically to Bastar, which witnessed Maoist violence for decades, the Chief Minister said the region was now entering a different phase.
“Bastar, which suffered Maoist violence for decades, is today moving forward towards a new era of peace, confidence and development,” he said.
‘Time for Introspection’
Sai also directed strong criticism at those whom he accused of politically exploiting the deaths of tribal people or extending intellectual and ideological support to terror.
“This is also an occasion for introspection, particularly for those who do politics over the bodies of tribal people and those who provide intellectual and ideological support to terror,” Sai said.
Using the expression “Dimaagi Naxal”, the Chief Minister said those extending support or shelter to terror for vested interests should recognise the consequences of doing so. His remarks following the verdict have also been reported independently.
“Dimaagi Naxals should also understand that providing encouragement and shelter to any form of terror for vested interests ultimately has destructive consequences for everyone,” he said.
Sai further said that terror directed against India’s democratic and constitutional order could not remain confined by ideology or geography.
“The Bhasmasur of terror that fights against Indian democracy and the Constitution does not recognise the boundaries of any ideology or region. They must understand this and desist from such activities,” the Chief Minister said.
Concluding his statement, Sai paid tribute to all those who lost their lives in the Jhiram Ghati attack.
