Maoist Mastermind Hidma Killed in Andhra Pradesh Encounter: A Major Blow to Left-Wing Insurgency

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A significant blow has been dealt to the Maoist movement in India with the killing of top commander Madvi Hidma and his wife Hema in an intense encounter with security forces in the Maredumilli forests of Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitarama Raju district. The operation, which began at 6am on Tuesday, lasted for an hour and resulted in the deaths of six Maoists, including Hidma, who was wanted for his alleged involvement in major attacks on security forces. According to Andhra Pradesh Police Chief Harish Kumar Gupta, the security forces had intensified their combing operations in the region after receiving intelligence that senior Maoist leaders were hiding in the area. The operation was carried out by combined security teams, and as they closed in on the Maoists, an intense exchange of fire broke out. Hidma, who hailed from Chhattisgarh's Sukma district, had a ₹1 crore bounty on his head, while his wife Hema had a ₹50 lakh bounty. The Maoist leadership has suffered a significant setback with Hidma's death, marking a major milestone in the government's efforts to eliminate Maoism from the country by next year. This development comes on the heels of the killing of Maoist chief Nambala Kesava Rao alias Basavaraju in May, which was seen as a significant success against the Left-wing insurgency. Basavaraju, who was accused of masterminding attacks, including an ambush that left 76 security personnel dead in 2010, was a key figure in the insurgency in central India. The Union government has pledged to intensify counterinsurgency operations in the region, and security forces have already made significant gains in eliminating Maoist leaders in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. The killing of Hidma and his wife is seen as a major blow to the Maoist movement, and it remains to be seen how the organization will recover from this setback.