Amaravati: In a major success, security forces in Andhra Pradesh have claimed to have eliminated top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma in an operation that is still ongoing.
Hidma’s name has become synonymous with the Communist Party of India (Maoist). He is known to have led at least 26 attacks against security forces and civilians.
Tuesday’s encounter took place in the Maredumilli forest near the tri-junction of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana, officials said. This is in the Alluri Sitharamaraju district of Andhra Pradesh.
The bodies of at least six rebels have been spotted. They include those of Hidma and his wife Raje alias Rajakka, officials said.
Harish Kumar Gupta, the director general of police, Andhra Pradesh, said that the encounter took place between 6 am and 7 am.
“In the exchange of fire, six Maoists were killed, including a top Maoist leader. A massive combing operation is currently underway,” he said.
Hidma was born in 1981 in Sukma, then in Madhya Pradesh. He rose to lead a battalion of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army and became the youngest member of the Central Committee, the CPI Maoist’s top decision-making body. He was also the only tribal member from the Bastar region on the central committee. Hidma carried a bounty of Rs 50 lakh.
Hidma has been known to lead several deadly attacks, including the 2010 one in Dantewada that claimed the lives of 76 CRPF personnel. He was also allegedly involved in the 2013 ambush in Jhiram Ghati that left 27 people, including top Congress leaders, dead. He also played a key role in the 2021 Sukma-Bijapur ambush in which 22 security personnel were killed.
Hidma’s death is being considered a massive blow to the Maoists at a time when they are on the backfoot due to sustained operations by security security forces and a large number of surrenders due to disillusionment with the ideology.
Among the many key Maoist leaders who surrendered recently is Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi. After his surrender, Bhupathi urged his active comrades to lay down arms and join the mainstream.
He said his comrades involved in armed struggle for power and land must understand their acts have taken them away from people, which showed the “failure of the path”. “Active Maoists must leave the way of violence, surrender, and join the mainstream and work among people,” he said.
The government has set a target to eliminate Left Wing Extremism from the country by the end of March 2026. Security forces are now carrying out all-out strikes against the rebels.
