Top Maoist leader Madavi Hidma, one of India's most feared insurgents responsible for at least 26 major armed attacks, was killed in a security forces encounter on the morning of November 17, 2025. 

The operation took place between 6:30 am and 7:00 am in the forested Maredumilli mandal area of Andhra Pradesh near the tri-junction border with Chhattisgarh and Telangana.

Alongside Hidma, his wife Madakam Raje and four other Maoists—identified as Deve, Lakmal (Chaitu), Malla (Mallalu), and Kamlu (Kamlesh)—were also neutralised in the firefight.

The incident marks a significant tactical success for Indian security agencies ahead of a key deadline set by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who had ordered Hidma’s capture or elimination by November 30, 2025.​

Born in 1981 in Sukma, Chhattisgarh, Hidma rose rapidly through the ranks of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA), leading its most lethal battalion and becoming the youngest and only tribal member from Bastar in the Maoist Central Committee.

His leadership and strategic acumen earned him notoriety as the mastermind of deadly attacks including the 2010 Dantewada massacre that claimed 76 CRPF personnel, and the 2013 Jhiram Ghati attack which killed 27 people, including senior Congress leaders.

Hidma's guerrilla warfare expertise and deep knowledge of forest terrain enabled his battalion to operate as a formidable strike force across central India’s Red Corridor.​

Union Home Minister Amit Shah set an overarching target to eliminate Left-Wing Extremism by March 31, 2026, underscoring this encounter as a pivotal achievement in anti-Maoist operations. During a recent security review, Shah had emphasised the urgency of neutralising Hidma by the November 30 deadline, which was achieved with this operation occurring 12 days in advance.

Officials remain confident that with such intensified and coordinated efforts, Left-wing extremism can be eradicated ahead of the 2026 target. The encounter took place in a region historically used by Maoists as a safe haven, highlighting improved intelligence and operational precision by security forces.​

This development also involves the neutralisation of Hidma's close associates and wife, dealing a major blow to the structural leadership of the CPI (Maoist). Security forces recovered multiple bodies at the encounter site and confirmed that the firefight was intense but decisively ended insurgent activities in that area.

The death of Madavi Hidma is seen as a morale booster for law enforcement and signals the effectiveness of government measures to contend with the Maoist insurgency that has long destabilised the region.​

The elimination of Madavi Hidma represents a decisive victory for Indian security forces in their campaign against Maoist insurgency, fulfilling a crucial government mandate and potentially accelerating the demise of Left-Wing extremism well ahead of the March 2026 national deadline.

This success underscores the relevance of sustained, high-intensity anti-Maoist operations supported by enhanced intelligence and inter-state coordination at the trijunction zones.​

Earlier, in Jan 2025, Ramchandra Reddy Pratap Reddy, also known as Chalapati, a key CPI (Maoist) ideologue and mentor to commander Madvi Hidma, was killed in an anti-Maoist operation in Chhattisgarh. His elimination marked a significant milestone in weakening the CPI (Maoist) leadership, reducing its ideological base, and advancing India's goal to end Left-wing extremism by March 2026.

Agencies