Madvi Hidma | Top Maoist Commander Madvi Hidma, Behind 26 Armed Attacks, Killed

Notorious Maoist Madvi Hidma, responsible for leading at least 26 armed attacks against security forces and civilians, has been gunned down in an encounter at Andhra Pradesh's Alluri Sitharamaraju district. The encounter between the rebels and Andhra Pradesh cops took place at Maredumilli forest near the tri-junction of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Telangana. At least six rebels' bodies have been spotted, and the operation is still on. Andhra Pradesh's Director General of Police Harish Kumar Gupta said the encounter took place between 6 am and 7 am today. "In the exchange of fire, six Maoists were killed, including a top Maoist leader. A massive combing operation is currently underway," he said. Born in 1981 in Sukma, then in Madhya Pradesh, Hidma rose to lead a battalion of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army and became the youngest member of the Central Committee, the CPI Maoist's top decision-making body. He was the only tribal member from the Bastar region on the central committee. Hidma carried a bounty of Rs 50 lakh. His wife, Raje alias Rajakka, is also learnt to have been killed in the encounter.