Maoist Leader Madvi Hidma Killed: Madvi Hidma (51), the most wanted leader within the Naxal ranks, was killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh this morning.
According to security officials, Hidma alias Santosh, his wife and four others were fleeing from Chhattisgarh when they were surrounded by security forces in the Maredumilli forest in Alluri Sitarama Raju district between 6 am and 7 am.
“For the past few weeks, Andhra Pradesh SIB/intelligence inputs have specifically indicated the movement of Maoists near the AP-Chhattisgarh-Odisha border and, based on those inputs, we operated and got this success,” said a top officer.
Hidma was a Central Committee member and leader of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee, responsible for at least 26 lethal armed attacks.
When Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Sonu surrendered recently, a top security official had said the focus was now on Hidma. “He is the party’s most deadly commander. The search will be on for him now,” the official had said.
The exchange of fire on Monday morning occurred after the anti-Naxal Greyhounds and the local police started a combing operation late Monday night on receiving information about the movement of a large group of Maoists along the Andhra Pradesh-Chattisgarh-Odisha border, an official said. As per the information, the group was travelling through the border forests.
“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,” Amit Bardar, Superintendent of Police, Alluri Sitarama Raju district, told The Indian Express in the morning.
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Full Name
Madvi Hidma (Alias: Santosh)
Position
Central Committee Member
Leadership Role
Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee Leader
Encounter Location
Maredumilli Forest, Alluri Sitarama Raju District, AP
Encounter Time
6:00 AM – 7:00 AM
Involved in
26
Lethal Armed Attacks
Indian Express InfoGenIE
Tuesday morning’s anti-Maoist operation took place after a long period of limited Maoist activity in Andhra Pradesh. The state witnessed previous encounters in April and June. In the June 18 encounter, Gajarla Ravi, a Central Committee member on the National Investigation Agency’s most wanted list, and Aruna, the wife of senior Maoist leader Chalapati alias Appa Rao, were among the three Maoists killed.
With Union Home Minister Amit Shah vowing to end the insurgency by next March, security forces have been pursuing Maoists in Chhattisgarh, where they are currently hiding in a few pockets of Bastar and Dandakaranya. Much of the top leadership, including former general secretary Basvaraj, and Central Committee members Katta Ramachandra Reddy, Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy, Gajarla Ravi, Chalpathi, Sahdev Soren, Balkrishna, and Narasimha, have been killed this year.
In neighbouring Telangana, dozens of Maoist leaders and scores of cadres have surrendered in recent months.
