Andhra Delivers Body Blow To Guerilla, Logistics Networks Of Maoists

The security forces in Andhra Pradesh have not just stopped Maoists from regrouping in the state after Operation Kagar in Chhattisgarh but have also broken the back of the Left-Wing Extremist (LWE) group with two back-to-back successful encounters in the forests and arrests from urban areas.

The operations, spanning the Andhra Pradesh-Chhattisgarh-Odisha tri-junction and urban centres, signal a decisive step toward eradicating left-wing extremism from the region.

After the elimination of dreaded Maoist Madvi Hidma and five of his aides yesterday, security forces in Andhra Pradesh have recovered the bodies of seven more Maoists—four men and three women—after a second encounter this morning.

The fresh encounter occurred reportedly between 6-7 am in the dense forest of Alluri Sitarama Raju district near the Andhra-Chhattisgarh-Telangana tri-junction.

The authorities are in the process of identifying the bodies, but preliminary reports indicate a key elimination could be of Metturu Joga Rao alias Tech Shankar, said to be in-charge of the Maoists' Central Committee's Andhra-Odisha Border (AoB) area.

Read: A Day After Madvi Hidma's Encounter, 7 More Maoists Killed In Andhra

Tech Shankar is known to be a highly specialised leader, often credited with researching and manufacturing advanced arms and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs).

Security forces have recovered a substantial cache of weapons from the site, including eight firearms, including two AK-series rifles.

Encounter Of Hidma

Tuesday's encounter in the Maredumilli forest area of Alluri Sitarama Raju district had resulted in the deaths of six Maoist workers. The most dreaded of them were Central Committee member and PLGA Battalion No. 1 chief Madvi Hidma and his wife Madakam Raje, a Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC) member. Hidma, the only tribal leader to rise to the Central Committee, was credited with masterminding several brutal attacks, including the 2010 Tadmetla massacre.

The death of Hidma just days before a central government deadline for his elimination is seen as a severe psychological blow to the Maoist movement, particularly in Bastar.

Hours after the first encounter, the Andhra Pradesh police, led by state intelligence chief Mahesh Chandra Laddha, the elite anti-terrorist unit OCTOPUS, and district police launched a swift, multi-district raid targeting the Maoist's critical logistical and urban support network.

A large amount of arms and ammunitions recovered by the police from Maoists arrested from Eluru (PTI)

The crackdown resulted in the arrest of 50 CPI (Maoist) operatives across Krishna, Eluru, NTR Vijayawada, Kakinada, and Dr BR Ambedkar Konaseema districts. Nine of those arrested were reportedly former personal security guards of the current CPI (Maoist) General Secretary, Thippiri Tirupathi, alias Devuji.

The operation revealed that many workers, primarily from Chhattisgarh, had assimilated into urban centres, posing as migrant workers and daily wage labourers to set up camps and facilitate the network.

Major seizures included a wide array of weapons, including pistols, revolvers, double-barrel bore guns, and country-made single-barrel guns. Crucial documentation expected to reveal critical information about the organisation's network, financing, and sympathisers, has also been found.

The encounters and mass arrests are part of the strategy to neutralise both the military wing in the forests and the vital logistical and communication support structure in the urban hinterlands.

Andhra Pradesh Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta said the operation was a major success and vowed to continue anti-Maoist operations until the region is completely free of Maoist influence.