A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar region on Saturday convicted all 10 accused in the 2013 Jhiram Valley Maoist attack case that killed 29 people and almost wiped out the state’s entire top Congress leadership.Special Judge Abhay Singh Rajput of the special NIA court in Jagdalpur convicted the 10 accused, including two women. The quantum of sentence is expected to be announced on September 16.The attack took place on May 25, 2013, at around 4.15 pm when Maoists ambushed a convoy of Congress leaders on a national highway in Jhiram Valley, under the Darbha police station limits in Bastar district. The site is located near the inter-district border of Bastar and Sukma.The outlawed Communist Party of India (Maoist) surrounded and opened fire on the convoy of Congress leaders who were taking out a “Parivartan (change) rally” ahead of the Assembly elections that were to take place later that year.Among those killed were senior Congress leaders, including then-state party chief Nand Kumar Patel, his son Dinesh, former Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly Mahendra Karma, former Union Minister Vidya Charan Shukla and former MLA Uday Mudliyar.The main target of the Maoists reportedly was Mahendra Karma, who is said to have initiated the Salwa Judum movement in 2005, in which civilians were armed to fight against Maoists. The movement led to widespread violence in the Bastar region, until the Supreme Court struck it down in 2011. Several civilians and security personnel were also killed.Congress leader Kawasi Lakhma, an MLA from Sukma who had survived the attack, was later questioned by the NIA, but no proof of conspiracy was found against him. Former Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel alleged that the NIA suppressed facts and prevented the state government from probing the case. He also alleged that the previous BJP government failed to provide security, enabling the Maoists to kill Congress leaders.Former BJP national vice-president and former Chief Minister Raman Singh countered the allegation, saying Baghel did not care about the case. “He just wants to play politics over the issue,” agencies quoted him as saying.The convicts are Pramila Modiyam; Chaitu Lekam, alias Munna; Sumita, alias Punem Modiyam; Mukka Mandvi; Kosa Kavasi, alias Kosaram; Aayata Markam; Madkami Deva; Joga Madkami, Banjami Snna, alias Chamru; and Mahadev Nag.Among the prominent names chargesheeted in the case but not convicted are Thippiri Tirupathi, alias Devuji, a politburo member who surrendered in Telangana this February; Barse Deva, who succeeded Madvi Hidma as commander of Battalion 1 and surrendered this January; and Ganesh Uikey, a central committee member who was killed in a December 2025 encounter in Odisha.The Bastar police had initially registered the case. However, given the gravity of the attack, the probe was handed over to the NIA. The NIA had filed its chargesheet in September 2014 and presented 101 witnesses over the years. Apart from the NIA, two judicial commissions were also formed to probe the attack.While 11 people were arrested, one died during the trial that lasted more than a decade, with at least 294 hearings. After final arguments were completed this month, the NIA court delivered its judgment on Saturday.