Mandvi Hidma, Naxals' most feared commander, gunned down ahead Nov 30 deadline; Amit Shah speaks to top officials

By Rajnish Singh
New Delhi [India], November 18 (ANI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday spoke to top officials after the security forces neutralised Madvi Hidma, one of the most notorious Naxal commanders wanted in multiple cases of deadly attacks on security forces, top 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.
Hidma, accused of orchestrating over 25 armed assaults on security forces and civilians, was reportedly shot dead in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitharamaraju district.
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 25 major attacks and dozens of smaller ambushes, extortion operations, and executions carried out under Maoist "jan adalats". (ANI)