Hidma's encounter 'staged', planned by Maoist leader Devji, says ex-MLA; cops call it misinformation

Raipur, Nov 21 (PTI) Tribal leader and former MLA Manish Kunjam on Friday alleged that the encounter in which top Naxalite commander Madvi Hidma was killed earlier this week was "staged" and "orchestrated" by senior Maoist leader Devji, but the police dubbed the claim an "attempt to spread misinformation".

Hidma was caught alive before being killed, he claimed, and added that the "entire game" was planned and engineered by Devji to gain mileage and protect himself.

Hidma (51), his wife Madkam Raje, and four other Naxalites were killed in an encounter with security personnel in the Maredumilli forest in Alluri Sitaramaraju district of the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on November 18 morning.

Addressing a press conference in Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, Kunjam alleged, "Hidma had been caught alive and then killed. The encounter was completely fake." Kunjam is a former Communist Party of India (CPI) MLA from Konta assembly constituency when it was still in Madhya Pradesh as Chhattisgarh was yet to be carved out. He now runs his own organisation named Bastariya Raj Morcha.

"Two days after the death of Hidma, 50 people (Naxalites) were arrested in Andhra Pradesh. Will 50 people go there to get arrested? Most of them are local boys and are from Sukma and Bijapur (south Bastar). The entire game was planned by Devji, who is a big leader of Naxalites, he claimed.

Devji took all of them to Andhra Pradesh on the pretext of getting them surrendered and at the same time used this as an advantage to build his own image and gain political mileage, he alleged.

"Look at all the newspapers, Hidma has been made the mastermind of all major (Naxalite) incidents then what about well-educated people who came from Andhra Pradesh (and were active as Maoists). Were they just peeling grass? They put all the blame on Hidma. They got him killed and arrested the rest," he said.

Devji is neither arrested nor killed. He is comfortably sitting somewhere as a guest of the Andhra Pradesh government, Kunjam alleged.

He also blamed leaders from Andhra Pradesh for "arming and instigating" Bastar's tribal youth into the armed movement.

Kunjam said, "I want to appeal to (Maoist leaders) Hirra, Deva in Sukma and others to surrender. There is no need to go to Andhra or Telangana. If needed, I will go to bring them back and help them surrender." Dismissing the allegations, police said certain vested interests were attempting to spread misinformation.

"The recent joint operation by police and security forces in Andhra Pradesh's bordering Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district has dealt a major blow to the Maoist network," Inspector General of Police (Bastar Range) Sundarraj Pattilingam told PTI.

"The neutralisation of some of the most violent and dreaded Maoist cadres has significantly weakened the operational strength of the banned Maoist outfit and boosted security and public confidence across Bastar," he said.

Pattilingam added that attempts by vested interests to spread misinformation cannot overshadow the fact that the operation marks a critical turning point in the fight against Left-Wing Extremism.

He stressed that Bastar's path to reform and rehabilitation remains open to every Maoist cadre, regardless of rank.

"Whether it is Barse Deva, Pappa Rao, Devji, Erra, Kesa, or anyone else, this is the moment to abandon violence and return to a peaceful, dignified life. They can approach the police, district administration, security forces, village elders, media, public representatives, or any trusted local resident. Help is available everywhere," he said.

Since January 2024, more than 450 Maoists, including several Central Committee members and top leaders such as general secretary Nambala Kesava Rao alias Basavaraju, have been killed in separate encounters with security forces in Chhattisgarh.

Last month, nearly 300 Naxalites, including Central Committee member Rupesh, surrendered in Chhattisgarh, while senior Naxalite Mallojula Venugopal Rao alias Bhupathi and 60 other cadres laid down their arms in neighbouring Maharashtra's Gadchiroli district. PTI TKP NP