Jiram valley Naxal attack: NIA files charge-sheet

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed its first charge-sheet in the 2013 Jiram valley Naxal attack, in which 31 people including senior Congress leaders were killed, before a special court in Chhattisgarh's Bilaspur district.
The charge-sheet in the case against 34 Maoists, out of which nine have been arrested, was filed before the court of District and Sessions Judge Mahadev Katulkar yesterday, a senior court official said.
The next hearing in the case has been scheduled on November 20.
On May 25, 2013, Naxals had ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders returning from a 'Parivartan Yatra' in Jiram valley of the state's insurgency-hit Bastar district.

Thirty one people, including former state Congress chief Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh, former Leader of Opposition Mahendra Karma, former Union Minister Vidayacharan Shukla and former MLA Uday Mudliyar were killed.
Subsequent to the attack, a special NIA court was set up to hear the cases related to the attack at the Bilaspur District and Sessions Court.

During investigation, nine alleged ultras - Jyoti alias Pramila Kodiyam, Banjami alias Sanna, Ayata Markam, Mukka Mandavi, Madkami Deva, Kawasi Kosa, Chautu alias Munna, Kosa Kawasi and Mahadev Nag were arrested by NIA while 25 others accused in the attack are still at large.

The special court had already directed to attach the property of these 25 offenders, belonging to Andhra Pradesh and Bastar.
During the hearing yesterday, Judge Katulkar directed the state government to arrange a defense counselor for the nine arrested accused till next hearing on November 20, after they expressed their inability to hire lawyers.
The rebels are presently lodged in Bilaspur central jail.