Who was Madvi Hidma ?People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA)

Why in News ? Madvi Hidma, the most-wanted Maoist commander in the protracted battle against the insurgents, was gunned down by the Andhra Pradesh police in the Maredumalli Mandal area of the state’s Alluri Sitharama Raju district on the morning of November 18. Five other Maoists, including two women, were killed in the security operation.

Who was Madvi Hidma?

• Madvi Hidma (1981 – 18 November 2025) was a prominent Indian Naxalite and a senior member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist). At the time of his appointment, he was the youngest member of the Party’s Central Committee.
• Hidma was known for orchestrating numerous attacks on security forces in the Bastar region of Chhattisgarh, including the infamous 2013 Naxal attack in Darbha Valley. He was listed as one of the most wanted criminals by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), with a bounty of over Rs 1 crore on his head at the time of his death.

Early Life :

• Hidma was born in Purvati village, located in the southern part of Sukma district, Chhattisgarh. He was also known by the aliases Hidmalu and Santosh. Raised in a region where Maoist insurgency was strong, he joined the Naxalite movement after completing his education up to class 10. Over time, he became a skilled strategist, specializing in military operations and guerrilla warfare.
• In 2016, Hidma was arrested along with six other alleged Naxalites but was considered a low-ranking member at that time. However, his rise within the Maoist ranks was swift. He became the area commander of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) Battalion No. 1, which operated in the core areas of the Dandakaranya region, encompassing districts like Sukma, Dantewada, and Bijapur. His abilities led to his promotion to the Central Committee of CPI (Maoist), making him one of the youngest members of this high-ranking body.

About PLGA:

The People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) is the armed wing of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), a banned political organisation in India which aims to overthrow the Indian Government through protracted people’s war.

• The People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army was founded on 2 December 2000 and known as the People’s Guerrilla Army (PGA) by the Communist Party of India (Marxist–Leninist) People’s War, also known as the People’s War Group.
• The PLGA was founded on the first death anniversary of their three Central Committee members, who were killed in an encounter in Koyyuru.
• In 2004, when the People’s War Group merged with the Maoist Communist Centre of India (MCCI) to form the Communist Party of India (Maoist), their respective armed wings also merged.
• Therefore, the People’s Guerrilla Army (the military wing of the People’s War Group) and the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (the military wing of MCCI) combined to form the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army.