‘Most wanted’ Maoist commander injured
RAIPUR: One of India’s mostwanted Maoist commanders, Madvi Hidma, was likely hit by a bullet during an encounter between insurgents and security forces in Chhattisgarh’s south Sukma district, police said on Monday.
A senior officer told HT that sources had told the police that Hidma was injured during a 36-hour encounter that began on Saturday. Hidma is accused of planning and executing attacks on security forces in the past decade that have caused at least 200 casualties — including an ambush in April that killed 25 paramilitary personnel.
“Our sources in the jungles of South Sukma told us that Hidma sustained bullet injuries but we are verifying the information. It could be possible that Hidma was hit because the encounter continued for over 36 hours and we believe around 20 Maoists were killed,” said the officer.
Another police officer posted in Sukma said this was the first time the security forces entered an area dominated by Hidma.
On Friday and Saturday, a joint team, comprising personnel from STF, District Reserve Guard (DRG) and CoBRA (Commando Battalion for Resolute Action), carried out anti-Maoist operation in the Chintagufa area, around 500 km from Raipur. Chintagufa is said to be the “capital of Maoists” in Bastar. The thickly forested area is considered a stronghold of the left extremist group that is fighting a decades-long bloody insurgency and has established parallel administrative set-ups in places with little government presence.