Bastar (Chhattisgarh) [India], November 18 : Bastar IG P Sundarraj on Tuesday called the killing of top Maoist leader Madvi Hidma a "decisive advantage" for security forces. He added that the militants now have no choice but to surrender and integrate into the mainstream or face consequences.
Hidma, accused of orchestrating over 26 armed assaults on security forces and civilians, was reportedly shot dead in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitharamaraju district. Along with Hidma, his wife Raje and other members of the Maoist group, including Chelluri Narayana, and Tech Shankar were also killed, sources said.
Hidma was eliminated days ahead of the November 30 deadline set by security agencies for his capture or neutralisation, the sources told ANI.
Speaking to ANI, IG Sundarraj said, "This is a decisive advantage for the security forces, not just for the Dandakaranya region or Bastar but for the entire India. The security forces have led campaigns against the Maoists during which the dead bodies of their general secretaries and politburo members have been recovered in 2025. This has forced the Maoist cadres to leave Bastar and take shelter in other regions. But wherever they go, they have no choice left now. Even if they go underground, or in the sky, they have no choice left but to surrender and be part of the mainstream, or else they will have to suffer the consequences."
"Today, an encounter took place between the Andhra Pradesh security forces and Maoists. Following the encounter, the bodies of six Maoists were recovered by security forces. One of them was Madvi Hidma, a Central Committee member of the Maoists who was formerly the commander of a PLGA battalion and is known as a face of terrorism. His body was also recovered in today's encounter. The bodies of Hidma's wife and four other Maoists were recovered, a total of six Maoists, and a large quantity of 47 AKs and ammunition were also recovered from the spot," Bastar IG added.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to top officials after security forces neutralised Madvi Hidma, top sources said.
Sources said the gun battle took place near the tri-junction of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana -- a region long used by Maoists as a tactical safe zone.
Born in 1981 in Purvati village of Sukma district of Chhattisgarh (then part of undivided Madhya Pradesh), Hidma was promoted to the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) due to his aggression, endurance and familiarity with forest terrain. Later, he became commander of PLGA Battalion No. 1-- the most lethal and mobile unit in the Naxal organisational structure.
Belonging to a tribal family in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, Hidma grew up in a zone heavily influenced by Left-Wing Extremism (LWE) or Naxalism. He joined the Naxal movement as a teenager, reportedly in the late 1990s, initially serving as a sangham (local militia) member. He later became the youngest member of the Naxals' Central Committee and was the only tribal representative from the Bastar region on the outfit's top decision-making body.
Security officials say Hidma's killing is one of the biggest setbacks to the Naxal hierarchy in years.
With the recent surrender of Mallojula Venugopal Rao, alias Sonu, the leadership burden of the banned CPI (Maoist) had shifted mainly to two senior figures: Thippiri Tirupathi, alias Devuji, and Madvi Hidma, alias Santosh. Both had headed the organisation's military wing, the Central Military Commission (CMC), which oversees armed operations.
Hidma's elimination, officials believe, could trigger further fractures within the Maoist command structure and weaken the group's operational capabilities across central India.
Officials said Hidma gained notoriety for his expertise in ambush warfare, IED deployment, guerrilla manoeuvres, recruiting and training local cadres, including special "action teams".Utilising deep forest terrain and local support to execute high-impact operations and evade security forces, Hidma was known for frequently shifting hideouts and operating without phones or traceable communication devices.
Hidma is believed to have masterminded or led operations in several major Maoist attacks that included the 2010 Dantewada massacre in which 76 Central Reserve Police Force personnel were killed-- one of the deadliest attacks in the history of India's counter-insurgency operations.
Officials say Hidma was also wanted in the 2013 Jhiram Ghati attack, which targeted a convoy of Congress leaders in Chhattisgarh, in which 27 people were killed, including senior political figures.
He was also named in the 2017 Sukma attack, in which 25 CRPF personnel were killed, as well as the 2018 Sukma blast, in which nine CRPF jawans lost their lives in an IED ambush strike.
Hidma is named in the 2021 Tekulguda-Jagargunda ambush, leading to the death of 22 security personnel and injuries to more than 30-- one of the biggest blows in recent years.
In total, Hidma was linked to over 26 major attacks and dozens of smaller ambushes, extortion operations, and executions carried out under Maoist "jan adalats".
Meanwhile, earlier, IG Sundarraj said that they were hopeful to fulfil their goal to make Chhattisgarh naxal-free by March 31, 2026, and in the last 20 months, more than 2200 naxals have joined the mainstream.
Speaking to ANI, P Sundarraj said, "Left Wing Extremism has been a bigger security challenge not just for Bastar and Chhattisgarh but the major part of the country for the last few decades. The last few years have been very decisive for the security forces in the Bastar region. In the last two seasons, we have recovered over 450 Naxalite bodies in the Bastar region. In this period, the bodies of top naxal cadres like Basavaraju and others were recovered. In the last couple of months, more than 300 Maoist cadres, including the Central Committee and Politburo members and other Divisional committee members, have decided to shun violence and join the mainstream."