Top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma killed after 26 deadly attacks.
Hidma’s encounter death delivers a major setback to Maoists, already weakened by intensified security operations and widespread rebel surrenders.
Top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma — long considered one of the most dangerous and elusive leaders of the CPI (Maoist) — has been killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh. His death marks a major breakthrough for security forces and a significant blow to the Maoist movement, which has been steadily weakening under sustained police action and a surge in high-profile surrenders.
Hidma, believed to be responsible for at least 26 armed attacks on security forces and civilians, was shot dead during a fierce encounter in the Maredumilli forest of Alluri Sitharamaraju district, located near the tri-junction of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and Chhattisgarh. The early-morning operation unfolded between 6 am and 7 am, when police teams engaged a group of Maoists deep inside the forest.
Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta confirmed that six Maoists were killed in the encounter, including a top commander. “A massive combing operation is underway,” he said, adding that security forces were continuing to sweep the forest to ensure no other rebels escaped.
Born in 1981 in Sukma — then part of Madhya Pradesh — Hidma rose from a local recruit to one of the most feared Maoist commanders in India. He led a battalion of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) and became the youngest member of the CPI (Maoist)’s Central Committee, the outfit’s highest decision-making body.
His wife, Rajakka — also believed to be a senior Maoist cadre — is reportedly among those killed in the encounter.
Over the years, Hidma was linked to some of the deadliest Maoist attacks India has witnessed. These include the 2010 Dantewada massacre in which 76 CRPF personnel were killed, the 2013 Jhiram Ghati ambush that claimed the lives of 27 people including several top Congress leaders, and the 2021 Sukma–Bijapur ambush where 22 security personnel were killed. His operational planning, familiarity with the terrain, and ability to command large groups of armed cadres made him one of the most difficult insurgent leaders to track.
The timing of his death comes as Maoist influence has already been declining. At the NDTV World Summit last month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi highlighted that more than 300 Maoists had surrendered within just 24 hours during a major security push. He said Maoist terrorism had caused immense suffering over five decades. “They did not allow schools or hospitals to be built. Doctors could not enter clinics. They bombed institutions. Maoist terrorism was an injustice to young people,” he said.
One of the most significant recent surrenders came from Mallojula Venugopal Rao, also known as Bhupathi — a senior Maoist ideologue and strategist. After laying down arms on October 14, he urged remaining cadres to abandon violence. He said that those who continued the armed struggle for land and power had drifted far away from the people they claimed to represent, calling it a clear “failure of the path.”
With Hidma’s death and multiple leaders defecting, security forces believe the Maoist network in central India is now facing one of its toughest phases. For many in the affected regions, his killing represents not just a tactical victory, but a step toward long-awaited peace.