Madvi Hidma
Madvi Hidma | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1981 Purvati, Sukma district, Madhya Pradesh (present–day Chhattisgarh, India) |
| Died | (aged 44) Alluri Sitharama Raju district, Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Cause of death | Gunshot wounds |
| Organization | CPI (Maoist) |
| Known for | Member of CPI (Maoist) and People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (India) |
| Spouse | Raja alias Rajakka |
Madvi Hidma (1981 – 18 November 2025) was an Indian Naxalite who at the time of his appointment was the youngest member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). Hidma was responsible for various attacks on the security forces in Chhattisgarh, including the 2013 Naxal attack in Darbha valley. He was on the National Investigation Agency's list of most wanted criminals. He had a bounty of more than ₹1 crore at the time of his death.
Militant activities
[edit]Hidma was born in Puvarti village of south Sukma in the Indian state of Chhattisgarh, in 1981.[1][2][3] He was also known as Hidmalu alias Santosh and was the face of the Maoists in Bastar. After completing his education up to class 10, he joined the Party and became a master strategist of military operations and guerrilla warfare.[4][5] He reportedly received guerilla warfare training from a militant group in the Philippines.[6][7]
Hidma was arrested in 2016 along with six other alleged naxals; at the time he was considered a low-level participant.[2] About that time, Hidma became the area commander of People's Liberation Guerrilla Army Battalion No 1[3] and an active member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee of the CPI (Maoist),[8] which operates in the Sukma, Dantewada and Bijapur areas.[9] He was promoted to the Party's Central Committee as the youngest member.[4] It is believed that Hidma was one of the masterminds behind a number of attacks on security personnel, including the April 2010 Maoist attack in Dantewada and the 2017 Sukma attack.[10][11][12] All told he is cited as having been responsible for twenty-six separate attacks.[13] Indian Agencies also declared a ₹45 lakh bounty on his head.[13]
2021 activities
[edit]Hidma was the objective of the security forces' planned 3 April 2021 attack on the Maoists; their intent had been to capture Madvi Hidma along with his associates. The planned attack of approximately 2,000 security forces, consisting of CRPF's specialised jungle warfare unit Commando Battalion for Resolute Action (CoBRA) combined with some of its regular battalions, and with units of the District Reserve Guard (DRG) of the Chhattisgarh Police was in turn ambushed by about 400 guerrillas. In the five-hour battle, there were twenty-three deaths among the security forces as per the police report: eight CRPF, eight from the district reserve group, and six special task force members. Also thirty-three others were listed as casualties, with thirteen being severely injured. In this battle the Maoists lost around fifteen members of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army including a woman who was killed in the attack as per the police. The ambush occurred in the south Bastar forest where security intelligence had indicated that a major meeting of militants was to occur.[14]
2025 Karregutta encirclement
[edit]Beginning in April 2025 with Operation Black Forest,[15] Hidma was the subject of much news attention as he was allegedly at the centre of the Central Reserve Police Force encirclement of over 1000 Maoist guerrillas in the Karregutta hills.[16][17]
Death
[edit]On 18 November 2025, security forces reportedly killed Madvi Hidma, his wife Madakam Raje (alias Rajakka), and four other Maoists in an encounter in the Maredumilli forest area of Alluri Sitharama Raju district, Andhra Pradesh.[18][19] According to police authorities, the operation was part of an intelligence-based cordon-and-search after inputs about Maoist movement near the Andhra–Chhattisgarh–Odisha border; a gun battle ensued between roughly 6 am and 7 am, and all rebels, including Hidma, were killed.[20]
However, the Maoist leadership and associated tribal activists rejected the official account, alleging that Hidma and others had been detained alive earlier and later executed, calling the encounter a "fake".[21][22]
References
[edit]- ^ Bhardwaj, Ananya (6 April 2021). "Madvi Hidma, the 'ruthless' Chhattisgarh Maoist 2,000 security personnel went hunting for". ThePrint. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
- ^ a b Hidma WAS listed as 35 in 2016. "Seven naxals held in Chhattisgarh". The Hindu. 23 September 2016. Archived from the original on 5 April 2021.
- ^ a b Hidma is listed as 36 in 2017. "Maoist Insurgency: Timeline (Terrorist Activities) -2017". The Institute for Conflict Management. 9 September 2017. Archived from the original on 5 April 2021.
- ^ a b "CPI (Maoist) commander Hidma promoted to Central Committee". The Hindu. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
- ^ "Why ruthless Madvi Hidma's promotion may change Maoist dynamics in Bastar". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
- ^ "Chhattisgarh Naxal encounter: Who is Maoist Madvi Hidma?". Deccan Herald. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ Kalita, Jayanta (8 April 2021). "How A Philippines-Trained Maoist Commander Laid A Deathtrap For The Indian Security Forces". EURASIAN TIMES. Retrieved 20 November 2025.
- ^ "India Hidma is the new Maoist militia leader in Chhattisgarh". The Institute for Conflict Management. 12 January 2020. Archived from the original on 5 April 2021.
- ^ Drolia, Rashmi (16 September 2018). "Hidma, the most wanted but least known Maoist leader". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018.
- ^ "Maoist caution before polls in Chhattisgarh". Retrieved 28 April 2019.
- ^ "Maoist commander Hidma among other ultras booked for Sukma attack". 27 April 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
- ^ Ranjan, Alok (25 April 2017). "Sukma Naxal attack: Who is Hidma". India Today. Archived from the original on 14 March 2018.
- ^ a b Drolia, Rashmi (5 April 2021). "Maoist threat: Operation aimed at Hidma, but he is a 'bundle of photographs'". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 April 2021.
- ^ Drolia, Rashmi (5 April 2021). "23 jawans massacred in Maoist ambush, finds rescue team". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 April 2021.
- ^ Singh, Animesh (15 May 2025). "Op Black Forest dealt big blow to Naxals in Bastar: Security forces". The Tribune. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ^ "Karregutta Hills, Madvi Hidma and the Vision of a New Republic". The Wire. Retrieved 5 May 2025.
- ^ "31 Maoists killed in 21-day anti-Naxal operations at Karregutta hills; Amit Shah hails 'historic breakthrough'". Mint. 14 May 2025. Retrieved 19 November 2025.
- ^ Sreenivas Janyala; Jayprakash S Naidu; Nikhila Henry (19 November 2025). "Madvi Hidma, top surviving Maoist leader behind 26 lethal attacks, killed in encounter". The Indian Express. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
- ^ TNM Staff (18 November 2025). "Top Maoist leader Madvi Hidma among six killed in Andhra Pradesh". The News Minute. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
- ^ U Sudhakar Reddy (19 November 2025). "Top Maoist military strategist Hidma killed in AP forest encounter". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
- ^ TNM Staff (22 November 2025). "CPI (Maoist) says top leader Hidma was tortured and killed by cops, seeks probe". The News Minute. Retrieved 27 November 2025.
- ^ Express News Service (22 November 2025). "Hidma, others killed in fake encounters: Maoists". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 27 November 2025.