Four Maoists get life sentence 10 years after Sukma attack that killed 16

The four Maoists who were sentenced in the case were identified as Mahadev Nag, Dayaram Baghel, Mani Ram and Kawasi Joga.

By: Express News Service

Raipur | Updated: February 13, 2024 02:17 AM IST

2 min read

During the trial, the couple’s son told the court that his mother had fallen on the tiles at their home and died.

A National Investigation Agency (NIA) court at Jagdalpur in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar district on Monday sentenced four people to life imprisonment in connection with the 2014 Maoist attack in Sukma, in which 15 security personnel and a civilian were killed.

The attack took place on March 11, just weeks before the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, in Sukma district’s Tahakwada village. A team of 45 personnel from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and state police were patrolling the national highway in the morning when they were ambushed. Maoists opened fire at them from behind small hedges in a field, just just 40-45 metre from the road, and killed 15 personnel. A resident of the village was also killed.

“While over 100-150 Maoists were involved in the attack, the local police arrested four of them and registered an FIR,” an NIA official said. The NIA took over the case and submitted a chargesheet. The trial began in 2016.

The four Maoists who were sentenced in the case were identified as Mahadev Nag, Dayaram Baghel, Mani Ram and Kawasi Joga. They were convicted for murder and criminal conspiracy under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code, Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, Arms Act, and Explosive Substances Act.

In all, 84 witnesses were examined by the court. Many of them had moved out of Bastar, and it took time to get them to depose, due to which the trial went on for over seven years.

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Maoist attack