Sukma encounter: Top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma, wife, 6 others killed

Hidma led a battalion of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army and carried a Rs 50-lakh bounty.

A major encounter erupted early Tuesday between security forces and Maoist cadres in the dense forests along the Chhattisgarh-Andhra Pradesh border, resulting in the death of top CPI (Maoist) commander Madvi Hidma, one of India’s most wanted insurgents.

The gunfight began around 6 a.m. in the Marud Palli forest under Errabore police station limits in Sukma district, near the Andhra Pradesh-Chhattisgarh–Telangana tri-junction, reported PTI.

Security teams had launched a coordinated anti-Naxalite operation following intelligence reports of a Maoist presence. The cadres opened fire as forces advanced, triggering a fierce exchange in the thick forest.

According to sources cited in a News18 report, Hidma has been killed, though formal identification is pending. Six Maoist bodies have been recovered, including that of Hidma’s wife, Raje alias Rajakka, also a member of the outfit.

The operation is currently underway, with reinforcements deployed to track any surviving cadres.

Born in 1981 in Sukma, Hidma was a key tribal leader from the Bastar region and the youngest member of the CPI (Maoist) Central Committee. He led a battalion of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army and carried a Rs 50-lakh bounty.

Hidma was accused of orchestrating at least 26 major attacks, including the 2010 Dantewada ambush that killed 76 CRPF personnel, the 2013 Jhiram Ghati attack claiming 27 lives, and the 2021 Sukma-Bijapur ambush that killed 22 security personnel.

Chhattisgarh Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Sharma, addressing the press in capital city Raipur, urged locals to embrace peace and join rehabilitation programs. “Various operations against Naxalites are ongoing. We appeal to everyone to come forward and participate in the government’s rehabilitation schemes,” he noted.