Top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma, behind 26 deadly attacks, killed in Andhra

Mangalore Today News Network

Amaravati, Nov 18, 2025: Madvi Hidma, a top Maoist commander who led 26 armed attacks against security forces and civilians, was gunned down in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitarama Raju district on Tuesday. He and his wife were among the six Maoists killed in the encounter.

Hidma (43), who had a bounty of Rs 50 lakh, was involved in the 2010 Dantewada attack, the 2013 Jhiram Valley massacre and the 2021 Sukma-Bijapur encounter. He had long been under the surveillance of security forces.

The encounter was launched after security personnel received intelligence inputs about the movement of Maoists near the Andhra Pradesh-Chhattisgarh-Odisha border.

Hidma’s second wife, Raje (Rajakka), was also killed along with him and his bodyguards in the encounter.

District Superintendent of Police (SP) Amit Bardar told news agency PTI that four men and two women were killed in the exchange of fire.

Interestingly, Hidma’s death came a week after his mother Madvi Punji made an emotional appeal and publicly urged his son to shun the armed movement and surrender, which will pave the way for his rehabilitation. Punji’s appeal came after she met Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma in Sukma.

WHO WAS MADVI HIDMA?

Born in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma in 1981, Hidma was the head of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) – Battalion No 1, the Maoists’ deadliest strike unit. He was the youngest member of the Central Committee of the CPI (Maoist). He was the only tribal from the Bastar region to join the committee.

Hidma was believed to have masterminded major attacks against security forces, including the 2010 Dantewada attack in which 76 CRPF personnel were killed and the 2013 Jhiram Valley massacre in which 27 people, including top Congress leaders, were killed.

The 43-year-old played a part in the 2021 Sukma-Bijapur encounter, in which 22 security personnel laid down their lives.

Hidma’s military strategy and guerrilla warfare skills made him one of the most dangerous Maoist commanders. Due to his experience, tactical acumen, and deep knowledge of jungle terrain, he was considered very dangerous by security forces.

Meanwhile, Home Minister Amit Shah congratulated the security forces involved in the operation for successfully neutralising Hidma. He had given the security personnel a deadline to kill Hidma by November 30, as part of an anti-Maoist operation.

Shah has set a target to make India Maoist-free by March 31, 2026.