Maoists claim top leader Madvi Hidma was trapped and killed by police informers, including contractors, after seeking medical treatment

HYDERABAD: The Dandakaranya special zonal committee of the CPI (Maoist) has accused contractors acting as police informers of leading top leader Madvi Hidma into a trap, resulting in what it calls his arrest, torture and killing in a staged encounter.In a statement, the outfit demanded a judicial inquiry into the deaths of Hidma at Maredumilli and Shankar at Rampachodavaram in Andhra Pradesh’s Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district, rejecting claims made by former MLA Manish Kunjam and activist Soni Sori and calling their remarks “baseless.”

Medical treatment in VijMaoist spokesperson Vikalp said Hidma, a central committee member and DKSZC secretary, was arrested with five others on Nov 15 by AP police. The committee alleged the group was “severely tortured” for three days before being killed on Nov 18, though police described the deaths as an exchange of fire in the Maredumilli forest. The statement said Hidma travelled to Vijayawada on Oct 27 for medical treatment with the help of a timber trader and was later joined by others.

The committee also rejected police claims that seven Maoists were killed in an encounter in Rampachodavaram on Nov 19. It alleged Shankar, a member of the Andhra-Odisha Border SZC, and six others were unarmed, arrested earlier and killed in a “fake encounter”. According to the statement, the people who accompanied both Hidma and Shankar “turned out to be police informers.” ‘Hidma movements leaked’The committee said a party member, Kosal, fled the ranks on Nov 9 and surrendered to Telangana police. It alleged Kosal knew Hidma’s travel plans and had tipped off police after deserting. Although cadres alerted Hidma to return inside the area, the committee claimed those accompanying him leaked his movements, leading to the arrests and killings. It said the same informers helped police arrest Shankar and his team. The statement further alleged that a Vijayawada timber trader, a builder-contractor, and another contractor from the ASR district provided key information that led to the arrest of 50 Maoists across several districts. It said intelligence agencies of the Centre and five states were aware of all developments and described the series of encounters and arrests as part of a coordinated joint operation. The committee asked activist Soni Sori to withdraw her statement.