The Dandakaranya special zonal committee of the banned CPI (Maoist) has made serious allegations against the Andhra Pradesh police, claiming that top leader Madvi Hidma was not killed in a genuine encounter but was arrested, tortured, and later executed. The committee has pointed fingers at contractors acting as police informers for leading Hidma into a trap.
Detailed Allegations of Arrest and Torture
In a detailed statement, Maoist spokesperson Vikalp outlined the sequence of events. According to the statement, Madvi Hidma, a central committee member and secretary of the DKSZC, was arrested along with five others on November 15 by the Andhra Pradesh police. The committee alleges that the group was then subjected to severe torture for three days before being killed on November 18.
This version starkly contradicts the official police account, which described the incident as an exchange of fire in the Maredumilli forest area of Alluri Sitarama Raju district. The Maoist committee has outrightly rejected this narrative, labeling it a "staged encounter."
Second Incident and Demand for Judicial Probe
The committee also challenged the police version of a second encounter in Rampachodavaram on November 19, where police claimed seven Maoists were neutralized. The statement asserts that Shankar, a member of the Andhra-Odisha Border Special Zonal Committee, and six others were unarmed and had been arrested earlier. Their deaths are also alleged to be a "fake encounter."
Consequently, the outfit has demanded an independent judicial inquiry into the deaths of both Hidma at Maredumilli and Shankar at Rampachodavaram. They have also dismissed remarks made by former MLA Manish Kunjam and activist Soni Sori on the matter as "baseless" and asked Soni Sori to withdraw her statement.
How the Trap Was Laid: Role of Informers
The Maoist statement provides a chilling account of how their leaders were allegedly betrayed. It reveals that Hidma had travelled to Vijayawada on October 27 for medical treatment, facilitated by a timber trader. The committee claims that the people accompanying both Hidma and Shankar "turned out to be police informers" who leaked their movements.
Furthermore, the committee alleged that a party member named Kosal deserted the ranks on November 9 and surrendered to Telangana police. Knowing Hidma's travel plans, Kosal is accused of tipping off the police. Despite cadres alerting Hidma to return to safety, the informers with him allegedly facilitated his capture.
The statement broadened the scope of the alleged informant network, claiming that a Vijayawada timber trader, a builder-contractor, and another contractor from ASR district provided crucial information leading to the arrest of around 50 Maoists across several districts. It described the operations as a coordinated effort involving central and five state intelligence agencies.
The allegations have cast a shadow over the recent anti-Maoist operations in the region, raising serious questions that the committee insists must be answered through an impartial judicial process.
