Andhra Pradesh police kill top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma and four others in Maredumilli encounter
Madvi Hidma, the most wanted Maoist commander in the ongoing fight against insurgents, was shot dead by the Andhra Pradesh police in the Maredumalli Mandal area of Alluri Sitharama Raju district on the morning of November 18.
Aadrika Tayal 
New Delhi(India) November 18: The Special Party team of the Alluri Sitharama Raju district police killed the elusive Maoist Madvi Hidma, also known as Santosh, along with his wife Madakam Raje, known as Rajakka, and four others.
This occurred in the early hours of Tuesday during a gunfight close to Nellooru village in Maredumilli Mandal, Alluri Sitharama Raju district, Andhra Pradesh.
Hidma, carrying Rs 1 crore bounty
The only individual from Chhattisgarh to advance through the ranks and occupy his prominent position in the Maoist leadership was Hidma, a member of the central committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). He was carrying a Rs 1 crore reward.
He was born in Sukma, Chhattisgarh, in 1981. Hidma joined the Central Committee (CC) as its youngest member. He is the only tribal from the Bastar region to join the CC. It is the party’s primary think tank and decision-making group, in recent years.
His fighting skills at a young age caught the eye of Nambala Keshava Rao. He is also known as Basavaraju. He was the former General Secretary of the party and was killed in an encounter in the Abujhmad forest area of Chhattisgarh on May 21, 2025. Hidma quickly advanced to lead a battalion of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), the Maoist party’s main strike force.
Gunfight lasted one hour; police seized arms, explosives, and communication gear
The Andhra Pradesh police reported that a gunfight with Hidma and his associates started around 6 am on November 18 and lasted about an hour. The incident occurred roughly 100 km from the Chhattisgarh border. Officers recovered two AK-47 rifles, a pistol, a revolver, and a shotgun from the site, along with materials for planting explosives, such as wires and detonators, as well as a camera flashlight.
Death of Hidma seen as setback for fading Maoist presence
Hidma's death is seen as a significant setback for the declining Maoist movement. He had managed to evade security forces for a long time and was considered a military strategist and a skilled fighter. He led the Central Military Commission (CMC), which is the main fighting unit of the banned CPI (Maoist). He was known for his ability to lead and inspire his fighters through his tactical and combat skills.
Hidma ran ‘Battalion No. 1’, the fiercest fighting group of the Maoists, for many years and was recognized for his warfare skills and tactics. Battalion No. 1 is regarded as the most heavily armed and best trained among the Maoist factions, consisting of dedicated fighters. It operates in the districts of Sukma, Bijapur, and Dantewada in south Bastar.
