New Delhi: Police have confirmed the killing of six Maoists in an alleged encounter that occurred on Tuesday (November 18) morning in the Alluri Sitaramraju district of Andhra Pradesh.

The Chief of Andhra Pradesh Police Intelligence, Mahesh Chandra Ladha, informed reporters that among those killed in the encounter were prominent Maoist leader Madvi Hidma and his wife Raje.

He mentioned that he had received credible information for the past 2-3 days indicating that senior Maoist leaders had travelled from Chhattisgarh to the forests of Andhra Pradesh. The encounter is said to have transpired between 6:30 and 7 a.m. in the Maredumilli forest area of the district.

Who was Hidma?

Hidma was said to be the youngest member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). He was believed to be around 50 years old. Recently, it was reported that he had been appointed as the secretary of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DK SZC), thereby becoming the first local tribal individual to assume this role in the 45-year history of the Naxalite or Maoist movement in Dandakaranya.

Sources familiar with the Maoist organisation indicate that Hidma, who hails from Poovarti village in the Sukma district of Chhattisgarh, joined the Maoist movement between 1994 and 1995. At that time, he was around 17 years old and had completed his education up to the seventh grade.

Initially, he worked as a squad member and area committee secretary in the Basaguda, Konta, and Kishtaram regions of South Bastar. Being a local resident, he gained popularity as a leader throughout the South Bastar area.

In 2007, Hidma was linked to the ambush and killing of 24 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel near Urpalmetta in South Bastar. Following this, his name emerged in connection with several attacks in the South Bastar region (Sukma district). On April 10, 2010, Maoists ambushed 76 soldiers near Tadimetla, an incident regarded as the largest massacre in the history of the Maoist movement in India. This attack is also believed to have been executed by Hidma's battalion. According to security forces, Hidma was involved in a total of 26 attacks.

As a result, his standing within the party organisation began to improve. Previously serving as the commander of Company 3, Hidma was appointed as the commander of the 1st Battalion, which was established in 2008. In 2011, he was elected to the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee. He subsequently ascended to the position of secretary of the committee and became a member of the Central Committee.

Observers of the Maoist movement contend that the conditions of that era significantly contributed to Hidma's emergence as a prominent and dynamic commander. Fierce confrontations arose between the Maoists and the government's security forces. Several military operations ensued, including Salwa Judum, followed by Operation Green Hunt and Operation Samadhan. During these operations, Hidma emerged as a combat commander.

Reports indicate that Hidma's death has dealt a severe blow to the faction of the party that aims to persist with the armed struggle. Last month, Mallojula Venugopal Rao, also known as Sonu, a member of the Maoist Party's Politburo and Central Committee, surrendered along with 60 other Maoist comrades in the Gadchiroli district of Maharashtra.

Subsequently, Rupesh, alias Vasudev Rao, a member of the Special Zonal Committee, also surrendered with arms, accompanied by 208 members in Jagdalpur. However, another faction of the Maoist party labeled both leaders as traitors and asserted their intention to continue the armed struggle. Hidma is regarded as a pivotal figure within this faction.

Recently, Chhattisgarh's Deputy Chief Minister, Vijay Sharma, visited Hidma's mother in her village, Puvarti, and urged her to encourage her son to return. The news of Hidma's death was reported just a week later.

Questions raised regarding the encounter

The Andhra Pradesh Civil Liberties Committee has labelled the encounter as fake, asserting, "Hidma and his associates had been residing at a secret hideout in Andhra Pradesh since the 28th of the previous month. The Andhra Pradesh police apprehended them from that site. The police then transported these unarmed individuals to the Maredumilli forests and murdered them in a brutal manner.”

Meanwhile, reports indicate that police have arrested 29 Maoists, which includes 21 women, from a house located near Penamaluru in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh.

Speaking to the press, Krishna District Superintendent of Police Vidyasagar Naidu confirmed that those arrested are affiliated with Hidma's battalion. Additionally, nine members of the security detail for the new party general secretary, Tippiri Tirupati, also known as Devji, are among those detained.

The Wire is now on WhatsApp. Follow our channel for sharp analysis and opinions on the latest developments.