As many as six Maoists, along with the central committee leader and military commander Hidma, aka Santosh, were gunned down by the anti-Maoist force Greyhound of Andhra Pradesh. The fiery exchange took place early Tuesday in the Maredmilli forest area of Alluri Sitarama Raju district.
Another prominent military commander, Chelluri Narayana Rao, alias Suresh, was also among the Maoist group. The details of those deceased haven't been confirmed yet.
Hidma hailed from Purvati village of Sukma district in Chhattisgarh, who became the youngest member of the Maoists' Central Committee. He also became a prominent member of the Bastar Committee after joining the Maoists with his strong and intelligent guerrilla warfare techniques. Later on, Hidma became a part of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee (DKSZC), where he plotted many attacks against the armed forces. Then, he was shifted to the military formations of the Maoist People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), of which he became a central committee member, and a top WANTED Naxalite too.
Home Minister Amit Shah spoke to top-ranked officials involved in the operation, following the neutralisation of the top Maoist leader.
Notably, the government had fixed a deadline of November 30, 2025, to eliminate Hidma. But, they did it even before. A few days ago, three Maoists, including two women ACM members, were killed in yet another fiery exchange at Tummalapadu in Sukma, which is also located close to the Andhra borders.
Those who escaped from there entered the Maredmilli area in the Alluri Sitarama Raju district. A possible intrusion was expected in the bordering districts; thus, the Andhra Police deployed the anti-Maoist force Greyhound for the past two days. A group was found at Eedaluru in Maredmilli Panchayat, which is a densely forested area and a tiger zone.
The combing continued after the fire exchange ended, lasting for almost half an hour. Six bodies were recovered from the site. As of now, it is believed that the six Maoists belonged to the same squad in Sukma. Their names, ranks, or other details are not known yet.
The last encounter that happened in Andhra Pradesh was in July, where several top leaders were shot down.