Top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma among 6 killed in Andhra Pradesh’s forests

In a major blow to the Maoist movement, top Maoist ‘commander’ Madvi Hidma was on Tuesday killed in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitharamaraju district in a gunfight with security forces, according to sources.

A source told PTI that Hidma and his fellow Maoists were killed in the dense Pullagandi forests at the tri-junction of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana.

At least five other Maoists were also killed in the gunfight, including Hidma’s wife Raje alias Rajakka.

Hidma was among the most wanted Maoists who had been part of some of the deadliest attacks over the decades, such as the Dantewada massacre in 2010 in which at least 76 CRPF personnel were killed.

ALSO READ: Who is Madvi Hidma, the most wanted Maoist leader wanted in 26 cases?

Alluri Sitaramaraju SSP Amit Bardar said the encounter was carried out between 6.30 am and 7 am in the forested area of Maredumilli region of the district.

“Yes, six Maoists were killed in an encounter in Alluri district today (Tuesday),” Bardar told PTI.

Bardar said it was a joint operation carried out by various wings of the police department.

Without naming Hidma, Andhra Pradesh police chief Harish Kumar Gupta said a “top Maoist leader” was among the dead.

“A massive combing operation is currently underway,” said Gupta, as per NDTV.

Hidma caught after months of chase

Earlier this year, the security forces got their first lead in April that put them on Hidma’s trail, according to CNN-News 18.

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Chhattisgarh Police, and Andhra Pradesh Police had surrounded the Karregutta Hills (KGL) after intelligence input suggested Hidma was hiding in the area’s dense forest. They launched a full-scale operation.

In an operation lasted for more than a month, 31 Maoists were killed but Hidma escaped.

Hidma was understood to have 130-150 fiercely loyal tribal fighters guarding him that made missions against him difficult.

Six months later, Hidma was cornered and eliminated earlier in the day.

While Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set March 31, 2026, as the deadline to remove Maoism from India , he had set November 30 as the deadline to kill Hidma, according to PTI.

Security forces personnel caught and killed Hidma 12 days before the deadline.

A source said, “The Union home minister had set a deadline of March 31, 2026, for the eradication of the Maoist problem from the country. At a security review meeting, Shah also told the top security officials engaged in anti-Naxal operations to eliminate Hidma before November 30, and he was killed 12 days before this deadline.”

The only tribal to rise among Maoists

Hidma was a rare presence among Maoists.

In the Maoist hierarchy dominated by men from Andhra Pradesh, he was the only tribal from Chhattisgarh’s Sukma who had risen to become the head of Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee — the wing that operates in Chhattisgarh, according to CNN-News 18.

Hidma was the head of People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army’s (PLGA) Battalion 1, which is one of the most elite units of Maoists.

Hidma was wanted in 26 cases of murder, ambush, and conspiracy. He was also known was Hidmula.