NIA chargesheets Maoist operative in targeted killing of Army personnel in Chhattisgarh

RAIPUR: National Investigation Agency (NIA) has filed a chargesheet against a Maoist operative in connection with the targeted killing of Indian Army personnel Motiram Achala in Chhattisgarh’s Bastar.

The incident, which occurred in February 2024, is being investigated as part of a larger conspiracy by the banned CPI (Maoist) group to spread terror in the region. The accused, Ashu Korsa from Bijapur district, has been charged under multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. These include Section 302 read with 120B (murder and criminal conspiracy) of the IPC, and Sections 16, 18, 20, 38, and 39 of the UAPA.

The chargesheet was filed before the NIA Special Court in Jagdalpur. According to the NIA, the case (RC-13/2024/NIA/RPR) was originally registered by the local police and later taken over by the agency on February 29, 2024. The investigation revealed that Korsa was actively involved in a conspiracy orchestrated by the CPI (Maoist) to assassinate Motiram Achala, an Indian Army jawan. Achala was shot dead by armed Maoist cadres on February 25, 2024, while visiting a village fair in Useli, located in the Amabeda area of Kanker district, along with his family.

The killing was part of a deliberate plan by Maoist operatives to target security personnel and instill fear among the local population. The NIA stated that Korsa was an active armed cadre of the Kuyemari Area Committee of the CPI (Maoist)’s North Bastar Division. Along with another senior Maoist leader, he had identified and executed the killing of Achala in the crowded local marketplace. Korsa was arrested in December 2024 following intensive investigations. The NIA described the act as part of a broader strategy by Maoist insurgents to disrupt peace and spread terror in tribal-dominated regions of Chhattisgarh. The agency confirmed that investigations into the case are still ongoing to identify and apprehend other conspirators involved in the deadly plot.