KOHIMA: A special National Investigation Agency court in Maharashtra has framed charges against 4 remaining accused in the 2019 Gadchiroli Naxal blast that claimed the lives of 15 police personnel and a civilian driver.
The incident dates back to May 1, 2019, when Naxalites triggered a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) in Gadchiroli district. The blast targeted a vehicle carrying members of Maharashtra Police’s Quick Response Team (QRT), killing 15 officers and the driver on the spot. The attack, one of the deadliest in the region, had shaken the state and led to a massive investigation.
In May 2024, the court had already framed charges against four of the eight accused in the case. However, the proceedings against the other four — Sathyanarayana Rani alias Kiran, Parasram Tulavi, Somsay Madavi, and Kisan Hidami — were put on hold. They had challenged the applicability of the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA) to their case.
The Bombay High Court had accepted their plea and discharged them from MCOCA-related offences. Dissatisfied with the decision, the NIA, which investigated the blast, moved the Supreme Court.
Last month, the apex court set aside the High Court’s ruling, thereby allowing the trial court to invoke MCOCA provisions against the accused. With this, the special NIA court has now formally framed charges against all 8 accused.
