Top Maoist Commander Madvi Hidma Killed In Andhra Encounter: Major Blow To CPI (Maoist)

Officials recovered two AK-47 rifles, a pistol and a revolver from the site. No security personnel were injured, police said. File Phto.

Top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma, one of India’s most feared insurgent leaders and the head of the PLGA Battalion No. 1, was killed in an early-morning encounter in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitarama Raju district on Tuesday. Officials from Andhra Police and Chhattisgarh’s Bastar Range confirmed the operation, describing it as “one of the most significant counter-insurgency breakthroughs in recent years.

The encounter began around 6.30 am, according to Andhra DGP Harish Kumar Gupta, after security forces received intelligence on Maoist movement near the tri-junction of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha. Six Maoists were killed, including Hidma’s wife, Madagam Raje, and four senior cadres—Lakmal, Kamlu, Malla, and Deve—as per statements given to PTI and TNIE.

Officials recovered two AK-47 rifles, a pistol and a revolver from the site. No security personnel were injured, police said. Combing operations continue across Maredumilli, Vijayawada, NTR, and Kakinada districts.

Hidma, 43, carried a combined bounty between INR 50 lakh and INR 1 crore, as noted by India Today and the Hindustan Times. He was linked to 26 major attacks, including the 2010 Dantewada massacre (76 CRPF personnel killed), the 2013 Jhiram Ghati attack (27, including top Congress leaders), the 2017 Sukma ambush, and the 2021 Sukma-Bijapur encounter.

Inspector General (Bastar Range) Sundarraj P said the killing marks a decisive phase of counter-insurgency under the Union Government’s Mission 2026, which aims to dismantle the remaining Maoist strongholds in Bastar.

Hidma's death comes a week after his mother, Madvi Punji, publicly urged him to surrender — an emotional appeal reported widely in Chhattisgarh media.

Security officials believe his killing creates the biggest leadership vacuum in the Maoist hierarchy in a decade. However, forces remain cautious, with joint teams still tracking other senior commanders active in south Bastar.

For regions long impacted by extremist violence, authorities say the operation represents a turning point in restoring stability and weakening the Maoist war machinery.