AP Police Reclaims Lost Reputation With Operation Sambhav

Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh Police has reclaimed its lost glory on the national stage with the recent surrender of 50 plus Maoists and elimination of their leader Madvi Hidma, who carried on his head a bounty of ₹1 crore bounty.

The anti-Maoist operation took place at Maredumilli, marking one of the greatest offensives in the four-and-a-half-decade history of Maoist insurgency. The AP police Intelligence department’s teamwork helped end a years-long chase of these extremists.

According to the officials, the encounter was staged with flawless coordination between the AP Police, the Greyhounds and the special forces. The 51-year-old commander Madvi Hidma, 51, had challenged the security forces for more than two decades, unleashing a “reign of terror” across Dandakaranya and adjoining regions.

Over 300 security personnel and civilians had lost their lives in 23 major attacks led by him, including the infamous Tadmetla ambush in 2010 and the Burkapal attack in 2017.

The state police encountered Hidma, his wife Rajakka, and 11 other Maoists on Nov 18 in a meticulously planned operation.

Born in 1974 in Puverti village, Sukma district, Chhattisgarh, Hidma’s early years were spent in his poor tribal family. As a youth, he was lured into the ranks of Maoists. Hidma rose quickly through the CPI (Maoist) ranks. His intimate knowledge of the Dandakaranya forests and ruthless operational style made him an invaluable asset to the militant outfit.

However, police say even the Maoist central committee was uneasy with his madness and penchant for torture. Hidma was notorious for dragging commando bodies along roads to instill fear. He never met journalists or activists and consistently rejected every media overture.

Hidma was a tactical genius, police said, adding that Hidma’s tactical expertise lay in utilising the forest terrain, orchestrating hit-and-run attacks, deploying massive IEDs, and maintaining his PLGA Battalion No.1 as a “ghost unit."

Major ambushes he led included the Tadmetla (2010) that caused the death of 76 security force personnel); Burkapal (2017) causing 25 personnel’s death), and Tekulugudem (2021) that caused 22 such deaths). His ability to disrupt security operations and escape through elaborate intelligence networks made him the “most-wanted” Maoist.

Hidma’s sudden death, along with the loss of key lieutenants, has inflicted a leadership vacuum in the Maoist ranks, shattering Battalion No.1 and causing further fragmentation of the extremist operations in Dandakaranya, police said.

They claimed that the AP Police’s brand image has been retrieved, with Operation Sambhav bringing “closure” to decades of violence and uncertainty.