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NIA begins probe against top Maoist commander

ByNeeraj Chauhan, Hindustan Times, New Delhi
May 10, 2021 04:11 AM IST

Maoist’s People’s Liberation Guerilla Army commander Madvi Hidma is the mastermind behind last month’s U-shaped ambush on security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district in which 22 security personnel were killed.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has launched a probe against Madvi Hidma, commander of Battalion-I of Maoist’s People’s Liberation Guerilla Army (PLGA), in connection with the seizure of a cache of explosive materials, including 900 detonators, used for planting Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) to target security forces, people familiar with the development said.

Officials said the whopping cache of explosives was recovered around the time when Maoists begin their Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC), from February to May every year.(File photo)

Hidma is the mastermind behind last month’s U-shaped ambush on security forces in Chhattisgarh’s Bijapur district in which 22 security personnel were killed.

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The officials cited above said that Hidma, who also goes by names Hidmal and Iduma, was booked in a matter related to the arrest of two ‘Maoist couriers’ – Muthu Nagaraju and Kommaraju Kanakaiah – by a routine patrolling team of Telangana Police and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on February 18. The duo was carrying 400 electrical detonators, 500 non-electrical detonators, 400 gelatin sticks and 549 metres of fuse wire in bags and was heading towards a forest in Chhattisgarh when they were caught.

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“During interrogation, they disclosed that they are sympathisers of CPI (Maoists) and were instructed by Hidma to collect the explosives,” an officer said, preferring anonymity. According to details accessed by HT, Hidma has been named as an accused in the NIA FIR, registered last week under the explosives act among others.

Officials said the whopping cache of explosives was recovered around the time when Maoists begin their Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC), from February to May every year. As part of TCOC, Maoist cadres are mobilised across the country, and then they carry out attacks on security forces and government establishments in order to kill them and loot their weapons. The targets also include patrolling parties, destroying railway tracks, police stations and schools among others.

Hidma, a strategist in guerilla warfare, has been the face behind Maoists’ TCOC every year for the past 15-16 years. He has planned and executed some of the deadliest ambushes on security forces, including the 2017 Burkapal attack in which 24 CRPF personnel were killed, 2013 Jheerum Ghati ambush in which 27 people, including Congress leaders, were killed and 2010 Dantewada ambush in which 76 lost their lives.

There is already a reward of close to 40 lakh on him by different police departments and central agencies.

Former Director General of CRPF, K Durga Prasad, said: “Hidma is basically the muscle-power of Jantana Sarkar of Maoists. He rose in the ranks of Maoists because of his military skills. Since he is a tribal, he has a good network of informants in the villages and people inside trust him more because the local administration is not visible. Honestly, the administration’s lack of planning and understanding of the terrain and needs of villagers is the reason why Hidma is more successful than us in the jungles of Chhattisgarh.”

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