Dreaded top Maoist Hidma gunned down in AP forests

Maredumilli (Asr District): Six Maoists, including the most wanted top leader and Central Committee member Madvi Hidma, were killed in an exchange of fire with security forces in the dense Maredumilli forest area of Alluri Sitarama Raju district in the state.

Apart from Hidma, his wife Madakam Raje, and his associates Malla, Deve, Chelluri Narayana alias Suresh, and Tech Shankar were also killed in the fierce encounter which happened between 6.30 am and 7 am in the forested area. The bodies of the Maoists were shifted to the Rampachodavaram Area Hospital, where heavy security has been deployed. Following the encounter, security measures have been tightened across the Alluri district, with vehicle checks being carried out in many places.

Mahesh Chandra Ladda, Additional Director General of Police (Intelligence), said that the Police Department received specific information that Maoists from a few battalions were planning to shift to Andhra Pradesh due to continuous pressure in Chhattisgarh. Consequently, police kept a close and continuous watch on their movements. "For the last two days, we had very specific intelligence that a few top Maoist leaders were entering the state and were planning to revive the movement," Ladda said in Amaravati.

On Tuesday morning, security forces launched an intensive combing operation in the interior Maredumilli forest area following the credible intelligence inputs that indicated increased Maoist movement along the Andhra Pradesh–Chhattisgarh–Odisha border. After the encounter, police seized two AK 47 rifles, one pistol, one revolver and a single bore weapon, a number of electrical and non-electrical detonators, fuse wire, seven kit bags and others. The latest encounter is a major blow to the Maoists, who have been facing continuous setbacks. Hidma was renowned as the master strategist for fierce guerrilla attacks within the Maoist party, believed to have planned at least 26 armed attacks against security forces.

Hailing from Puwarti village in Sukma district, Chhattisgarh, Hidma was also known by the names Vilas, Hidmal, and Santosh. A member of the Muria tribe, he joined the Maoist movement at the age of 17, having only studied up to the 7th grade. He excelled in leading party cadres and conducting guerrilla warfare in Dandakaranya, earning a reputation as the strategist behind major attacks. His specialty was swift attacks on Central Forces camps. He was the commander of the People's Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA) 1st Battalion, a force synonymous with military attacks. His direct involvement in every major attack made him a 'most wanted' figure in the records of the Central Forces.

Police sources indicate that the PLGA Battalion has about 350 members and possesses sophisticated weaponry, including stolen advanced weapons and bulletproof jackets.

Over two decades, numerous attacks in the Dandakaranya region of Chhattisgarh were linked to Hidma. He was involved in operations such as Chintalnar, Dornapal, Tadimetla, and Minapa, which resulted in huge loss of life, causing the deaths of over 200 police personnel. An official also disclosed that the Maoist party’s Research and Development (R&D) wing was under Hidma's command. The 2010 Dantewada attack in which Hidma played key role, saw the killing of 76 CRPF jawans. In the 2013 Jiram Ghati ambush, 27 people, including Congress leaders, were killed. The 2021 Sukma-Bijapur ambush resulted in the death of 22 security personnel. All these operations were strategised by Hidma. An official revealed that Hidma had secured the support of tribal villagers, establishing a powerful intelligence network that allowed him to anticipate the movements of police searching for him.

For years, Chhattisgarh Police, CRPF Cobra forces, and Telangana Greyhounds had been conducting extensive combing operations with Hidma as the sole target. Earlier this year, security forces searched extensively, from Karreguttalu to the Abujmad Mountains and the Indravati National Park. With many top Maoist leaders losing their lives in Dandakaranya, intelligence sources suspected Hidma's battalion was stationed in the National Park. However, Hidma managed to escape just hours before security forces surrounded the base earlier this year. At one point, there was speculation that he might surrender. It is now known that Hidma's group had chosen the Andhra border as a shelter zone after relocating from Chhattisgarh, entering Andhra via the Maredumilli border.