The Country’s Most Wanted Insurgent Taken Down
The Chhattisgarh Police has officially confirmed that Madvi Hidma, the most brutal and tactically skilled commander of the Maoist insurgency, has been neutralized in Sukma. Senior officials verified his identity through forensic and field-level markers, ending a manhunt that stretched for more than a decade.
Hidma, the head of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) PLGA Battalion 1, was responsible for some of the most devastating attacks on Indian security personnel. His confirmed neutralisation marks the single biggest counter-insurgency success in Bastar since the early 2010s.
The Last Five Years: How The State Squeezed The Maoist War Machine
Over the past five years, the Maoist insurgency has suffered its most significant decline since its peak around 2010. Security forces have not only narrowed the Maoist corridor in south Chhattisgarh but have also dismantled the leadership structure that once enabled large coordinated ambushes.
Several developments have shaped this shift:
1. Loss of Senior Leadership
Since 2020, operations by the Chhattisgarh Police, CRPF and CoBRA have neutralized or captured multiple senior Maoist leaders across Bastar. The deaths of commanders like Milind Teltumbde in Maharashtra and the arrests of senior Dandakaranya leaders weakened operational cohesion. Hidma’s neutralization removes the last major tactician capable of planning high-casualty ambushes.
2. Deepened Local Intelligence Networks
The rise in surrenders and local cooperation has been a decisive factor. Tribal communities that once felt compelled to support insurgents have increasingly disengaged, aided by road connectivity, welfare schemes, and the presence of local youth in state police ranks.
3. Area Domination And Infrastructure
New roads, fortified police camps and year-round patrols have drastically reduced Maoist mobility. Areas once considered “liberated zones” are no longer safe havens for insurgents.
4. Crumbling Cadre Base
With recruitment down and senior leaders removed, the insurgency is struggling to replenish trained fighters. Young cadres have increasingly chosen to surrender rather than fight.
5. Sharp Decline In Maoist Attacks
Home Ministry data shows that incidents of Left Wing Extremism have dropped more than 60 percent since 2019. Major attacks have become rare, and Maoists are now confined to a small, shrinking triangle in south Bastar.
The confirmation of Hidma’s death now accelerates this downward spiral.
The Man Behind The Bloodiest Attacks
Madvi Hidma was one of the most violent commanders in the history of the Maoist movement. He joined the insurgency as a teenager and rose through the ranks due to his mastery of terrain, ability to mobilize large units, and capacity for coordinated ambushes.
He was responsible for:
• the 2010 Chintalnar attack that killed 76 CRPF personnel
• the 2013 Darbha Valley ambush that wiped out senior Congress leaders
• the 2021 Tekulguda attack that killed 22 security personnel
His tactics relied heavily on exploiting the geography of Bastar, placing pressure mines, using civilian routes as cover, and overwhelming patrols with hundreds of armed cadres. For years, he was the face of the Maoist military machine in Bastar.
The Final Operation
The operation that neutralized Hidma began after fresh intelligence inputs indicated his movement through a forest belt in Sukma. A combined team of state police, Bastar Fighters, CRPF and CoBRA launched a sweep across the area. After a fierce exchange of fire, forces recovered the body of the insurgent leader. Multiple Maoist cadres were also neutralized.
Officials say the operation reflects months of surveillance, intercepted communication, and ground-level intelligence.
A Watershed Moment For Counter-Insurgency
With Hidma gone, the Maoist insurgency in Bastar loses its final high-value battlefield commander. Analysts believe the insurgency will now struggle to regroup or mount high-impact attacks. For security forces, the neutralisation is a morale-boosting confirmation that the strategy of local integration, aggressive patrols and leadership targeting is working.
For the region, it signals a potential shift from a conflict-ridden past to the possibility of sustained development and stability.
What Comes Next
Security agencies are preparing for short-term retaliation attempts, but senior officers say the Maoist structure is too depleted to sustain prolonged violence. Forces are expected to continue clearing remote pockets and dismantling remaining supply networks. The Chhattisgarh government has stated that development will expand rapidly in areas once dominated by the insurgency, especially around the Sukma-Bijapur border.
As one senior officer noted, “This is not just the neutralisation of a commander. This is the collapse of the last pillar of Maoist operational strength in Bastar.”
