Congress Leader Calls Encounter Killing of Maoist Commander Madvi Hidma ‘Staged’, Sparks Row

Telangana Congress President and MLC Mahesh Kumar Goud has courted controversy by describing the encounter killing of Maoist commander Madvi Hidma as “staged”. He also stated that the Congress party condemns the encounter killings of top Maoist leaders, including Madvi Hidma and Nambala Keshava Rao.

“The killing of these Maoists by the police looks like false and staged encounters. The Congress party condemns these killings and violence of any form — whether from the police or even from the Maoists. Be it Hidma, Keshava Rao or Ganapati, these leaders should be respected. They may have taken up arms, but there is a reason behind it,” he said.

In a phone interview with Republic, he said he does not believe the police version of Madvi Hidma’s encounter and insisted that the Maoist leader should have been given an opportunity to join the mainstream.

“I do not agree with the police version of the encounter of Madvi Hidma. The police claim about encountering Madvi Hidma is not true. Madvi Hidma wanted to surrender, yet the police still carried out the encounter. Hidma should have been given a chance to join the mainstream,” he said in the interview.

Madvi Hidma's Encounter

The 43-year-old top Maoist commander Madvi Hidma, who was responsible for at least 26 deadly attacks against security forces and civilians, including the 2017 Sukma attack in which 26 CRPF personnel were killed, was eliminated during an encounter on Tuesday in Andhra Pradesh. He was also involved in the 2010 Dantewada attack, which resulted in the killing of 76 CRPF personnel.

Along with Hidma, his wife Raje and other members of the Maoist group, including Chelluri Narayana, and Tech Shankar were also killed, sources said.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah speaks to top officials after the neutralisation of Madvi Hidma, who was eliminated even before the November 30 deadline set by the troops for his capture, they said.

Maoist commander Madvi Hidma was born in 1981 in Purvathi, Sukma, Chhattisgarh. He served as the head of the People's Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion No. 1, which is considered the Maoists' deadliest strike unit. Hidma was the youngest member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Maoist) and the only tribal from the Bastar region to hold this position. A bounty of ₹50 lakh has been placed on his head.

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