Hidma encounter staged: Tribal activists;Claims untrue, they’re glorifying him: Govt

Raipur: The killing of top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh has triggered a fresh political storm in Chhattisgarh's Bastar, with tribal rights activist Soni Sori and groups alleging that the "encounter" was staged and demanding a judicial probe and full public disclosure of the operation.

Chhattisgarh home minister Vijay Sharma rejected the allegations, defending the operation and accusing critics of trying to glorify Hidma. He cited major Maoist attacks over the years, including Tadmetla (2010) and Jiram Valley (2013), saying those questioning the forces' action should remember civilian and security casualties.


Hidma, a CPI(M) central committee member and secretary of the Dandakaranya special zonal committee, was killed on Nov 18 along with his wife Rajje and four other Maoists in the Maredumilli forests of AP's Alluri Sitarama Raju district. Security agencies have maintained that the group opened fire during a cordon-and-search operation, leading to a prolonged gunfight. However, after attending Hidma's cremation on Thursday in his native village Puvarti, Sori questioned the official version, asking how a Maoist leader believed to move with a multi-layer security ring could be killed with only five others, and why there were no reported injuries on the security side. She said the casualty should have been higher if it was a proper gunbattle. She also flagged what she called inconsistencies in post-operation photographs and said doubts deepen when the exact location, sequence of events, and recoveries are not made public.

In Raipur, Manish Kunjam, former CPI MLA from Konta in Chhattisgarh's Bastar region, on Friday alleged in a press conference that Hidma was captured elsewhere and later killed, calling it a "fake encounter." He also appealed to remaining Maoist cadres to surrender in Bastar, saying he would personally facilitate safe return under the current policy. Authorities have not accepted the custodial-killing claims and continue to describe the operation as legitimate.



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