Who was Madvi Hidma? India's ‘most-wanted’ Naxal commander behind 26 deadly attacks, killed in Andhra encounter today

Madvi Hidma, the most wanted leader within the Naxal ranks, was killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh this morning.

Hidma, alias Santosh, a key figure in the CPI (Maoist) hierarchy, was killed early Tuesday morning, 18 November, in an encounter in the Maredumilli forest region of Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitarama Raju district, security officials said.

The 51-year-old leader, long regarded as the organisation’s most dangerous strategist, was killed along with his wife, Madakam Raje, and four other Maoists, officials said.

Hidma and his group were attempting to flee from Chhattisgarh when they were intercepted between 6:00 AM and 7:00 AM. Intelligence inputs over recent weeks had alerted agencies to Maoist movement along the Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Odisha border, leading to a coordinated operation by the anti-Naxal Greyhounds and local police, according to security officials.

Who was Madvi Hidma?

Hidma was a prominent Indian Maoist (Naxalite) leader associated with the CPI (Maoist) and its armed wing – the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA)

Born in Purvati village in south Sukma, Chhattisgarh, Hidma completed his education up to class 10 before joining the Maoist ranks. He slowly rose through the organisation, perhaps due to his command of guerrilla warfare and military planning. Also known as Santosh, he eventually became the face of Maoist operations in Bastar.

Hidma eventually headed the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army Battalion No 1 and was an active member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee. He was active across Sukma, Dantewada and Bijapur. Hidma’s ascent continued as he became the youngest member of the CPI (Maoist) Central Committee.

Hidma was linked to at least 26 deadly attacks on security forces, including major operations in Dantewada, Darbha valley and Sukma, according to reports. These include the -2010 Tadmetla attack in which seventy-five CRPF men and a police constable were killed near Tadmetla village in Sukma district of South Chhattisgarh.

1 Cr Bounty, on NIA's most-wanted list

Hidma carried a bounty of over one crore rupees and was on the National Investigation Agency’s most wanted list. Despite being arrested briefly in 2016 as a low-level participant, he returned to prominence soon after.

Hidma's killing comes at a time when security operations against Maoists have intensified following Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s plans to end the insurgency by next March.

(With agency inputs)