Madvi Hidma killed in Andhra Pradesh encounter
Andhra Pradesh – Security forces ended a major chapter of Naxal insurgency on Tuesday morning. They killed Madvi Hidma, 51, the most feared and the last surviving top commander in the Maoist ranks. Forces tracked him down in the Maredumilli forest during a swift encounter between 6 a.m. and 7 a.m.
Hidma, also known as Santosh, was travelling with his wife and four others. Intelligence teams had been monitoring their movement along the Andhra Pradesh–Chhattisgarh–Odisha border for weeks. Officers said the group fled Chhattisgarh and moved through dense border forests when the combing teams closed in.
A senior officer said the Andhra Pradesh SIB had “specific inputs” about Maoist activity near the tri-junction. He added that the team acted quickly and secured this breakthrough. Greyhounds and district police units launched the combing operation late Monday night after intel confirmed that a large Maoist group was shifting locations.
By Tuesday morning, forces established that six Maoists had fallen in the exchange of fire. Superintendent of Police Amit Bardar said the operation was still active and teams would confirm more details once they returned. The encounter marks one of the biggest anti-Maoist successes in recent years in Andhra Pradesh.
Hidma ranked among the deadliest Maoist commanders. He served as a Central Committee member and led the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee. Security agencies linked him to at least 26 lethal attacks across Bastar and Dandakaranya. These attacks shaped the course of the insurgency for more than a decade.
When senior Maoist leader Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Sonu surrendered recently, officials had said the next target was Hidma. They called him the “most dangerous commander” still active in the organisation. Forces have been working with that focus for months.
The last major encounters in Andhra Pradesh occurred in April and June. In the June 18 operation, forces killed Gajarla Ravi, another Central Committee member on the NIA’s most wanted list, along with Aruna, the wife of senior Maoist leader Chalapati alias Appa Rao. Those encounters signalled that Maoist presence in the state was shrinking but still active in pockets.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has set a March deadline to eliminate the insurgency. Security teams across Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh have since intensified operations. Maoist units currently remain limited to a few pockets in Bastar and deep Dandakaranya forests. This year, forces have taken down several senior leaders including Basvaraj, Katta Ramachandra Reddy, Kadari Satyanarayana Reddy, Chalpathi, Sahdev Soren, Balkrishna, Narasimha, and Gajarla Ravi.
Meanwhile, in Telangana, dozens of Maoist leaders and many lower-rung cadres have surrendered over recent months. Officials say this trend reflects rising pressure across the Naxal belt.
The killing of Hidma marks a turning point. Security forces believe the loss of their most strategic and ruthless commander will further weaken Maoist operations in the region.
