Today’s history: Jhiram Valley attack happened 9 years ago, Naxalites killed many leaders of Chhattisgarh Congress

Year 2013… Assembly elections were to be held in Chhattisgarh at the end of the year. In the last 2 elections, Bharatiya Janata Party had won and Raman Singh was the Chief Minister. Congress, away from power for 10 years, was trying its best to win this time. In this episode, the Congress made preparations to take out the Parivartan Yatra in the entire state. On May 25, Congress organized a Parivartan rally in Sukma.

After the rally was over, the convoy of Congress leaders was going from Sukma to Jagdalpur. There were about 25 vehicles in the convoy, in which 200 leaders were on board. At the fore were Congress state president Nandkumar Patel, his son Dinesh Patel and Kawasi Lakhma with their respective security guards. Behind them was the car of Mahendra Karma and Malkit Singh Gaidu. Uday Mudaliar, the then Congress in-charge of Bastar, was walking behind this vehicle along with some other leaders. If seen, all the top leaders of Chhattisgarh Congress were involved in this convoy.

The convoy was passing through Jhiram Valley at around 4 pm. Here the Naxalites blocked the road by felling trees. The vehicles stopped and before anyone could understand anything, more than 200 Naxalites hiding behind the trees opened fire. The Naxalites targeted all the vehicles. Nandkumar Patel and his son Dinesh died on the spot. The firing continued for about an hour and a half.

At around 5.30 pm, the Naxalites came down from the mountains and started checking each and every vehicle. Those who had been killed in the crossfire were again shot and stabbed so that no one was left alive. Those who were alive were being held hostage. Meanwhile, Mahendra Karma got down from a car and said, ‘Take me hostage, leave the rest’. The Naxalites brutally killed Mahendra Karma by taking him a short distance away. More than 30 people died in the attack. In this, except Ajit Jogi, most of the big leaders of Chhattisgarh Congress and security force personnel were martyred.

The main target of this attack was Bastar Tiger Mahendra Karma. The Naxalites considered him their biggest enemy because of leading the ‘Salwa Judum’. The Naxalites fired about 100 bullets on his body and inflicted more than 50 stabs with knives. After the murder, the Naxalites also danced on his dead body.

2008: NASA’s Phoenix Lander landed on Mars

NASA’s Phoenix Lander.

The Phoenix Mars Lander, sent by NASA for the purpose of searching for the possibility of water and life on Mars, landed on the surface of Mars on this day. It was launched on 4 August 2007. This solar powered lander completed its 3 month mission. After that the sunlight could not reach Mars and the lander stopped working. Based on the test of the soil of Mars by this lander, NASA had announced the presence of water on the planet. In May 2010, NASA officially called off this mission.

1915: Establishment of Sabarmati Ashram

Statue of Gandhi ji located in Sabarmati Ashram.

In the year 1915, Mahatma Gandhi returned to India from South Africa. After returning, Gandhiji wished to live with his family. For this, he converted a friend’s bungalow into an ashram in Kochrab, Ahmedabad. On 25 May 1915, Gandhiji established this ashram and it was named as Satyagraha Ashram. Two years later, in July 1917, this ashram was settled on the banks of the Sabarmati river. This ashram was named ‘Sabarmati Ashram’ because of its location on the banks of the river Sabarmati. In the year 1930, Gandhiji started the Dandi Yatra from Sabarmati Ashram itself.

2011: Telecast of The Oprah Winfrey Show’s last program

US President Barack Obama presenting the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Oprah Winfrey at an event at the White House in November 2013.

On this day in 2011, the last program of The Oprah Winfrey Show was telecast. Famous stars like Tom Cruise, Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Tom Hanks, Will Smith and Madonna took part in this show. The show is considered the most successful show in American television history. The host of the show Oprah Winfrey is a well-known name in the TV world.

Oprah started her TV career as a news anchor. He then began hosting a morning talk show in Chicago. Gradually the ratings of this show started increasing and with this Oprah also started becoming famous. On 8 September 1986, The Oprah Winfrey Show was broadcast on National TV for the first time.

By 2008, more than 130 million people worldwide started watching this show every week. Today Oprah is known as the most powerful TV celebrity. Recently, his interview with Prince Harry and Meghan Markle was also very much discussed.

For what other important events in history is remembered on the day of 25 May…

2020: American policeman killed black George Floyd. After this the Black Lives Matter movement started all over the world.

2017: Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg left Harvard University midway in 2004. On this day in 2017, the university awarded Zuckerberg an honorary degree.

2008: The BJP was successful in forming the government for the first time in a southern state by winning 110 of the 224 seats in the Karnataka Legislative Assembly.

2005: Bollywood actor and politician Sunil Dutt passed away at the age of 75.

2003: Chile won the World Cup tennis title for the first time.

1995: American scientists succeeded in decoding the DNA of a living organism for the first time.

1985: About 10 thousand people died due to the cyclonic storm that hit Bangladesh.

1919: The Kelat volcano eruption in Java killed more than 16,000 people.