Raipur/Maredumilli — In a major breakthrough for security forces, top Naxalite commander Madvi Hidma — the mastermind behind some of the deadliest Maoist attacks in the last two decades — was killed in an encounter in the Maredumilli forest of Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitaramaraju district on Tuesday. His wife, Raje, and four other Maoists were also gunned down in the operation.
Senior officials in Bastar confirmed the development, calling Hidma’s killing the most decisive blow yet to the dwindling Maoist movement in Chhattisgarh. “This is the last nail in the coffin of the insurgency,” officials said.
Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma told reporters in Raipur, “We have received information that Maoist leader Hidma is among those killed on the Andhra Pradesh–Chhattisgarh border. It is a very important development.”
A native of Puvarti in Sukma district, Hidma had long been one of the most elusive Maoist figures. His identity remained shrouded in secrecy until a photo emerged earlier this year. He headed the PLGA Battalion No. 1 — the most powerful armed unit of the Maoists in the Dandakaranya region, spanning Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Odisha, Maharashtra, and Chhattisgarh. Last year, he was elevated to the CPI (Maoist) Central Committee.
Hidma joined the Maoist movement in the late 1990s and came under the radar of security agencies after the 2010 Tadmetla massacre, where 76 security personnel were killed. He worked closely with top commander Papa Rao during the attack. His name surfaced repeatedly after major strikes in Bastar, including:
• 2013 Jhiram Valley attack that wiped out top Congress leadership in Chhattisgarh
• 2017 Burkapal ambush that killed 24 CRPF personnel
An expert in guerrilla warfare, he was known to move with heavily armed cadres and remained untraceable for years due to a four-layered security ring. However, intensified anti-Naxal operations in the past two years weakened his protection, pushing him to retreat deeper into border forests.
Police officials also confirmed that Hidma’s wife, Raje, was an active member of the same battalion and participated in several major attacks.
A Chhattisgarh Police officer noted, “Hidma had acquired a heroic image among his cadres. His elimination is a major step toward ending Maoism in the Bastar region.”
With this encounter, nine Central Committee members of the CPI (Maoist) have been eliminated this year across Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Andhra Pradesh, including Nambala Keshav Rao alias Basavaraju, the group’s top-most leader.
