Madvi Hidma, Maoist leader behind Jhiram Valley massacre of Congress leadership, gunned down; who was he?

New Delhi: In a major breakthrough in the decades-long fight against Left-Wing Extremism, security forces on Tuesday eliminated top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma, one of India's most wanted insurgents and the alleged mastermind behind some of the deadliest attacks on security personnel in the Bastar region.

Hidma and his wife, Raje alias Rajakka, were killed in an encounter in Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitharamaraju district. The gunfight took place in the dense forest region near the tri-junction of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Telangana, an area long known to host Maoist hideouts. Security personnel have spotted at least six bodies so far, and search operations are underway.

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Born in 1981 in Sukma, then part of undivided Madhya Pradesh, Hidma was one of the most brutal and enigmatic figures in the Maoist hierarchy. He rose through the ranks to command Battalion No. 1 of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) and became the youngest member of the CPI (Maoist)'s Central Committee. He was the only tribal leader from Bastar on the party's top decision-making body. Hidma carried a bounty of Rs 50 lakh, though various governments had cumulatively announced over Rs 1 crore for information leading to his capture.

Over the past decade, Hidma is believed to have engineered some of the most devastating Maoist attacks including the Tadmetla ambush (2010) that killed 76 CRPF personnel; the Jhiram Valley massacre (2013) that wiped out top Chhattisgarh Congress leaders; the Burkapal ambush (2017) that claimed 25 CRPF jawans; and the Aranpur IED blast (2023).

Believed to be in his early 50s, Hidma had studied only up to Class 10. Known for his extreme secrecy, he operated under a multilayered security ring and maintained minimal contact even within Maoist ranks. He rose to Maoists' Central Organising Committee and it made him one of the most influential figures in the group.

Hidma's killing is a major milestone for security forces in their mission to eliminate Maoists insurgency in India by March 2026. Around 66,000 personnel, operating from 320 security camps, have been deployed to dismantle Maoist strongholds.