Maoist leader Madvi Hidma, who masterminded at least 26 armed attacks against security forces and civilians, was killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitharamaraju district. The encounter occurred in the forests of Marud Palli, West Godavari District, near the Chhattisgarh-Andhra Pradesh border at around 6 am.
Police sources confirmed that at least six rebels’ bodies were found, with the operation still ongoing. Hidma’s wife, Raje alias Rajakka, was also reportedly killed during the encounter.
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According to officials, the gunfight erupted after security forces began a combing operation based on credible intelligence about Maoist cadres in the area.
Amit Bardar, Superintendent of Police, Alluri Sitarama Raju district, told The Indian Express in the morning, “We have been able to confirm that six Maoists have been neutralised. The operation is ongoing. We will get more details once our parties return.”
Who was Madvi Hidma?
Madvi Hidma was born in 1981 in Sukma, then part of Madhya Pradesh.
Hidma rose to command a battalion of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army. He later became the youngest member of the CPI Maoist’s Central Committee, the organization’s top decision-making body, and was the only tribal representative from Bastar on the committee.
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Hidma carried a bounty of Rs 50 lakh. He had long been associated with some of India’s deadliest Maoist attacks, including the 2010 Dantewada massacre that killed 76 CRPF personnel, the 2013 Jhiram Ghati ambush claiming 27 lives including senior Congress leaders, and the 2021 Sukma-Bijapur ambush in which 22 security personnel were killed.
His death marks a significant blow to the Maoist network in India.
