A major encounter has erupted along the Andhra Pradesh border, with security forces engaging Naxalites in the Alluri Sitaram district. Early reports indicate that several Naxalites have been killed in the exchange of fire, and unconfirmed inputs suggest that one of the casualties may be dreaded Maoist commander Madvi Hidma, who carries a bounty of Rs 1 crore on his head.
There are also unverified claims that members of Hidma’s family, including his wife Raje alias Rajakka, may have been killed in the operation. However, authorities have not yet issued any official statement, and the encounter is believed to be ongoing. Security agencies are expected to release a formal confirmation once ground verification is complete.
Who Is Madvi Hidma?
Born in 1981 in Sukma—then part of undivided Madhya Pradesh—Hidma rose rapidly within the CPI (Maoist), eventually taking command of a People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army battalion, as per NDTV. He became the youngest member of the Maoist Central Committee and the only tribal representative from Bastar in the organisation’s top leadership.
Hidma has long been associated with some of the most brutal Maoist offensives in the country. Among them are the 2010 Dantewada massacre that claimed the lives of 76 CRPF personnel, the 2013 Jhiram Ghati ambush in which 27 people—including senior Congress leaders—were killed, and the 2021 Sukma-Bijapur attack that left 22 security personnel dead.
(More details awaited)
