The Delhi Police informed a court on Monday that a group of protesters arrested for allegedly using pepper spray on personnel during a demonstration at India Gate over pollution had raised slogans hailing the recently slain Maoist leader Madvi Hidma. The insurgent commander was killed in a security force operation in Andhra Pradesh earlier this month.
According to the police, two separate First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered — one at Kartavya Path police station against six individuals and another at Sansad Marg police station against 17 people. Following their production before magisterial courts, 22 of the accused were sent to judicial custody.
In the Kartavya Path case, the investigating officer stated to the court that those arrested were heard praising Hidma, a senior leader of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist).
Who was Madvi Hidma?
Madvi Hidma, a top-ranking Maoist commander wanted across multiple states and by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for his alleged role in some of the deadliest insurgent attacks of the past two decades, was killed during an exchange of fire, as confirmed by officials.
The senior leader of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist) was gunned down along with five other cadres during an exchange of fire in the dense Maredumilli forest area of East Godavari district on November 19, according to officials. Among the deceased was his wife, Raje, who was also a prominent member of the organisation.
As reported by TOI, Hidma was a Central Committee Member of the CPI (Maoist) and the secretary of its Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee. The 51-year-old, who hailed from Puvarthi village in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, was a key military figure for the insurgents, commanding a People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) battalion in the vital southern theatre.
Intelligence profiles described Hidma as being of medium build and fair complexion, standing approximately 5 feet 6 inches tall and known by aliases including Deva, Santosh and Vilas. His wife, Raje, who also went by the name Rajakka, was a State Zonal Committee member and reportedly worked as a teacher within the battalion.
The operational elimination of Hidma marks a critical blow to the Maoist infrastructure. As reported by TOI, he was considered the mastermind behind a series of high-casualty assaults on security forces and political targets.
He was centrally wanted in connection with the 2010 Dantewada massacre, where 76 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel lost their lives and the devastating 2013 Darbha valley ambush in Chhattisgarh.
The Darbha attack wiped out much of the Congress party’s state leadership in a single strike, claiming the lives of senior figures such as VC Shukla and Mahendra Karma. Hidma was also linked by authorities to the 2017 Sukma ambush, which resulted in the deaths of 37 paramilitary personnel. A collective reward of Rs 1 crore had been announced for his capture.
The operation in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitarama Raju district, which neutralised one of India’s most-wanted insurgents, is seen as a significant success for security forces in their long-running campaign against left-wing extremism.
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