The fall of Hidma: Inside the joint operation that ended Bastar’s most feared Naxal commander

Raipur: Top Naxalite commander Madvi Hidma, who masterminded several attacks over the last two decades, was killed in an encounter in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday, a breakthrough the Chhattisgarh Police described as the "last nail in the coffin" of insurgency.

Security forces gunned down Hidma (51), his wife Madkam Raje, and four other Naxalites in the Maredumilli forest in Alluri Sitaramaraju district of the neighbouring state this morning, a senior police officer in Bastar confirmed.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai said the killing of Hidma, along with five other Naxalites, in a joint operation by security forces along the Chhattisgarh-Andhra Pradesh border marks a "decisive achievement" in the fight against Left Wing Extremism.

"It is a historic and decisive day for the security forces on the anti-Naxal front. Hidma's death marks one of the most decisive breakthroughs in the history of anti-Naxal operations, not only for Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, but for the entire nation," Inspector General of Police, Bastar Range Sundarraj Pattilingam said.

Over the decades, he orchestrated numerous brutal attacks, including the 2013 Jhiram Valley attack, targeted killings, and large-scale ambushes, posing a persistent threat to peace and stability across the Dandakaranya region, he said.

Hidma ignored the repeated appeals by the government, police, and even his family members to shun violence and join the mainstream. This should serve as a lesson for the few remaining Maoist cadres and their depleted leadership to accept reality and join the mainstream to live a peaceful and meaningful life, he added.

Under sustained and coordinated security pressure in Bastar region, Hidma, Raje, and their close associates were forced to abandon their traditional safe hideouts, he said.

They had been taking shelter in the Karegutta hills and adjoining Chhattisgarh-Telangana interstate border for the last few months, continuously fleeing from one location to another after suffering significant setbacks in Dandakaranya. Today, their escape finally came to an end, the IGP said.

The nature and quantity of explosives recovered after this encounter clearly demonstrate that Hidma and his team were planning a major attack along the inter-state borders. Their elimination has prevented imminent attacks and removed a longstanding symbol of terror from the Maoist hierarchy, he said.

Hidma carried a reward of Rs 40 lakh in Chhattisgarh and a cumulative bounty of over Rs 1 crore across multiple states, he added.

Terming the operation a major breakthrough, Sai, in a post in Hindi on 'X', said, "Hidma's terror has ended, peace is returning to Bastar...The neutralisation of six Naxalites, including top Naxalite leader and CC member Madvi Hidma, in a successful operation by security forces on the Chhattisgarh-Andhra Pradesh border is a decisive achievement in our fight against Naxalism. Salute to the indomitable courage of our security forces for this."

Hidma was the face of bloodshed, violence and terror in Bastar for years. His end today is not only an achievement of an operation, but also a severe blow to the Red Terror, further strengthening our commitment to establishing lasting peace in the region, he said.

The surrender of hundreds of Naxalites in the past few months, the arrests of top cadres, and continued successful operations indicate that Naxalism is now breathing its last, Sai said.

He said his government was unleashing a new wave of peace, trust and development in Bastar.

"We are confident that with a joint central-state strategy, India will be completely Naxal-free by March 2026. Jai Hind! Jai Chhattisgarh!" the CM said.

A native of Puvarti village under Jagargunda police station limits in Sukma district, Hidma's age and appearance remained mysterious until his photograph surfaced earlier this year.

He headed the Maoists' People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion No. 1, the strongest military formation of the entire CPI (Maoist). This battalion was the most violent Maoist formation operating in Dandakaranya, for several years, officials said.

He was elevated to the Maoists' Central Committee last year. He was one of the most dreaded Maoist commanders operating across Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.

Hidma, also known by aliases, such as Hidmanna, Hidmalu and Deva, joined the banned organisation in 1991 as a Bal Sangham member. He came on the radar of security agencies after the Tadmetla attack, in which 76 security personnel were killed in 2010. He had then assisted another top Maoist commander, Papa Rao, in executing the strike.

Since then, his name surfaced repeatedly after every major ambush on security forces in Bastar.

He had served as a member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC), which orchestrated several deadly attacks in south Bastar.

Expert in guerrilla warfare, Hidma was known to carry an AK-47 rifle, while members of his huge unit moved with sophisticated weapons. His four-layered security ring inside the forests reportedly made him untraceable for years.

"Hidma had acquired a heroic image among his cadres, and his elimination is a major step towards eliminating Maoism from the Bastar region. His elimination is the last nail in the coffin in terms of military strength of a severely-weakened insurgency in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh," another Chhattisgarh police officer said.