Archive · 20 Sep 2026
Court Details Three-Month Plan Behind 2013 Jhiram Ghati Massacre
In 2013, a Congress convoy traveled from Sukma toward Jagdalpur.
Maoist attackers waited near Jhiram Ghati in Bastar.
The court said they spent about three months planning the attack.
They studied the road, gathered food and weapons, and practiced beforehand.
They cut down trees and used explosives to stop the vehicles.
Then they fired about 206 bullets at the convoy.
Twenty-seven people died, including many Congress leaders.
Mahendra Karma was identified as a main target and was killed after identifying himself.
A court later sentenced 10 convicted Maoists to death.
The Jhiram Ghati attack on May 25, 2013, killed 27 people, including 26 Congress leaders and workers.
A special NIA court said Maoists planned the ambush between February 16 and 25, 2013.
Attackers surveyed the Sukma-Jagdalpur route, selected the site, mobilized cadres and rehearsed before the assault.
They blocked the road with trees and 8–9 kilograms of explosives before firing about 206 bullets into the convoy.
The court sentenced 10 convicted Maoists to death, calling the attack premeditated and among the “rarest of the rare.”
- Who
- Maoist attackers targeted a Congress Parivartan Yatra convoy; 10 convicted Maoists were sentenced to death.
- What
- A planned ambush killed 27 people, including 26 Congress leaders and workers, and severely damaged Chhattisgarh Congress’s state leadership.
- When
- The attack occurred on May 25, 2013; the court said planning began at a meeting held between February 16 and 25, 2013.
- Where
- Near Jhiram Ghati in Bastar district, on the Sukma-Jagdalpur route, with command centres on both sides of the road.
- Why
- According to the court order, the attackers sought to stop the Parivartan Yatra and were searching for Salwa Judum leaders Mahendra Karma and Nand Kumar Patel and their relatives.
- Attack date
- May 25, 2013
- Deaths
- 27 people, including 26 Congress leaders and workers
- Planning period
- About three months; the planning meeting took place between February 16 and 25, 2013
- Explosives used
- Approximately 8–9 kilograms, including PETN and TNT
- Bullets fired
- Approximately 206
- Attack force
- Around 100 armed Maoists and Jan Militia members
- Court sentence
- Death sentences for 10 convicted Maoists
