Hailing from Puvvarti village in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, Hidma, an Adivasi with only a fifth-grade education, joined the Maoist movement at the age of 25. Now 44, he rose through the ranks to become the commander of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion No. 1 and a member of the Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee.
The latest encounter, still ongoing, has already claimed multiple Maoist casualties. Security forces have reportedly taken control of the forest pocket, sealing all possible escape routes. This operation is unfolding near Ranibodili, the site of a deadly Maoist attack in 2007 that left 74 CRPF personnel dead.
By 1992, Rao was elected to the Central Committee of the CPI (ML) People’s War. After the 2004 merger of the People’s War and the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) to form the CPI (Maoist), he was appointed head of the Central Military Commission (CMC) and became a Politburo member. His expertise in military tactics and explosives made him a critical asset.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah hailed the operation as a landmark achievement, praising security forces for their efforts in neutralizing the dreaded Maoist commander. In a statement on X, he said, “Today, in an operation in Narayanpur, Chhattisgarh, our security forces have neutralized 27 dreaded Maoists, including Nambala Keshava Rao, alias Basavaraju, the general secretary of CPI-Maoist, topmost leader, and the backbone of the Naxal movement.”
Security forces have reclaimed key ridges in the Karregutta hills, hoisting the tricolor atop strategic locations to signal progress in the operation. The offensive aims to dismantle Maoist strongholds, particularly targeting Battalion No. 1 of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) and its leader Madavi Hidma.
Hidma, born in Purvati village in Sukma, Chhattisgarh, is a key figure in the Maoist movement. His journey from a class 10 graduate to the commander of Battalion 1 of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army is a testament to his tactical acumen. As the youngest member of the Maoists’ Central Committee, Hidma has orchestrated numerous attacks, earning a ₹45 lakh bounty on his head.
Inspector General Chandrasekhar Reddy clarified that local police were not involved in the operation, which is being jointly led by central paramilitary forces and Chhattisgarh police. The situation remains tense as security forces continue their efforts to dismantle Maoist strongholds and neutralize threats in the region.
The insurgency, which began in 1967 with the Naxalbari uprising, reached its peak in the late 2000s, affecting nearly 180 districts. The Modi government, as announced by Home Minister Amit Shah, is firm on addressing the insurgency by 2026.Shah has declared that the number of LWE-affected districts has now come down to only six.
This move recalls the 2004 peace talks initiated by the late Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy, then Chief Minister of undivided Andhra Pradesh, and his Home Minister K. Jana Reddy. The talks, held at Praja Bhavan, were seen as an experimental approach to resolving the conflict. However, many key leaders from that time are no longer alive.
On March 29, 2025, a significant encounter unfolded in Chhattisgarh’s Sukma district, resulting in the deaths of at least 16 Naxalites and minor injuries to two security personnel. The operation, conducted by the District Reserve Guard (DRG) and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), marks a critical step in the ongoing fight against Naxalite insurgency in the region.
