Bijapur?s Maoist Mastermind

The gruesome Naxal attack on security forces in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh on April 3 in which 22 personnel from Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Special Task Force (STF) of state police and District Reserve Guards (DRG) were killed and more than 30 injured, bears a stark resemblance with the Maoist attack that occurred exactly a year ago, on March 21, 2020. In that incident, 17 jawans from STF and DRG were killed in a gun-battle that had taken place inside the forest near Chintagufa — between the hilly terrains of Kasalpad and Koraj Dongri in Sukma district, between security forces and the Maoists.

The recent gun-battle happened between the security forces and Maoists at Tekulugudam, which is 12 km away from Tarrem camp in Bijapur district. The Maoists surrounded the security forces from all sides and started random firing like it happened on March 21 last year in Sukma.

Both the attacks have several similarities in terms of operations, Naxal leadership, ambush and the region where these two incidents occurred. But the most important aspect is the face behind these two gruesome incidents. Both the attacks were led by the dreaded commander of People Liberation Guerrilla Army’s (PLGA) military Battalion-1, Madvi Hidma, who operates out of Sukma and is an astute military strategist.

Both the attacks were a part of Tactical Counter Offensive Campaign (TCOC) of PLGA-the objective of which is to cause maximum damage to security forces. And the Maoists succeeded in both the cases. In both the incidents, the security forces comprising CRPF’s elite wing COBRA and DRG had launched a joint anti-Naxal offensive, to eliminate the top Naxal leaders in the Maoist-hotbed of Bastar.

Various versions about Madvi Hidma alias Idmul Podium Bhima have gained currency in the market. However, the most widely known fact is that Hidma at present is the commander of ‘Battalion-1’ of the People’s Liberation Guerrilla Army (PLGA) in the Dandakaranya region of Bastar in Chhattisgarh. He rose from the ranks of the armed cadre.

Originally from Puvarti village (Jagargunda) in Sukma district, Hidma operates from the Naxal stronghold of the South Sukma region. According to the locals, he never went to a school, but can speak English and has knowledge of computer operation.

According to police and security force, Madvi Hidma had been actively involved in some of the worst Maoist attacks including 2010 Chintalnar attack in which 76 CRPF men were killed; 2013 Jhirum Ghati massacre in which the entire top Chhattisgarh Congress leadership got wiped out, 2017 Burkapal ambush in which 23 CRPF jawans were killed and March 2020 Chintagufa (Sukma) ambush in which 17 jawans were killed.

Hidma, the mastermind behind several major attacks and ambushes, is considered an aggressive leader among Maoist cadre. He is a master strategist in guerrilla warfare. It is said that he knows the Bastar terrain like the back of his hand. This has been proved again and again.

The banned CPI (Maoist) has appointed Hidma as the head of Dandakaranya Special Zone Committee (DKSZC) to spearhead attacks against security forces.

The police is clueless about Hidma’s physical appearance, how does he look like or details of his background and age. The police do not even have any recent photograph of Hidma, except an old black and white one, which is almost two decades old. The elusive and shadowy Maoist commander, who has a four-layered security cover, carries a reward of Rs 45 lakh on his head. The most common description of Hidma is that he carries an AK-47 and leads a strong group of about 250-300 Maoists. There are different stories about Hidma’s existence. Some even say that he’s a young guy in his late 20s, while others claim that he is in his early 50s.

“There are different versions about Hidma’s existence that have made this Maoist an enigma. Some say he was killed in an encounter after Jhirum Ghati incident and his name is used as a post of a leader in the Maoist cadre. No one has seen him and even if he ever came to a village market, no one would recognise him,” revealed a source from Sukma.

Over the past decade, a majority of the Maoist attacks have mostly occurred in three districts of Chhattisgarh — Dantewada, Sukma and Bijapur, which lie on the Red Corridor.

Since the 2010 Chintalnar massacre, the Dantewada-Sukma-Bijapur axis has claimed lives of more than 175 security force personnel, besides several civilians. One of the key reasons for repeated attacks in this region is that the operational base of Hidma lies in the interiors of Sukma.

In the Dantewada-Sukma-Bijapur axis exists one of the Liberated Zones of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist), where they run a parallel government of their own called ‘Janatana Sarkar’ (Revolutionary People’s Council/Government).

A Liberated Zone is a particular region in a district affected by Left wing extremism, where Maoists rule the roost. Police and Central forces haven’t been able to penetrate this zone. According to police and CRPF sources, the Abujhmarh belt in Narayanpur district still remains impenetrable for them.