7 more Maoists shot dead in fresh Andhra Pradesh encounter

A day after dreaded Maoist Madvi Hidma, his wife and four others were gunned down in Andhra Pradesh, seven more died in another exchange of fire in the vicinity on Wednesday, police have said. Union home minister Amit Shah has set a deadline of March 31, 2026, to wipe out Naxalism from the country.

Addressing a press conference in Vijayawada, Mahesh Chandra Laddha, ADGP, Intelligence, said three women were among those who died on Wednesday. "In continuation with Tuesday's operation, seven Maoists have died until now (on Wednesday), according to information received from the field," Laddha said, adding that Wednesday's operation occurred about 7 km away from Tuesday's initial exchange of fire (EOF) site.

According to the senior officer, the Maoists were killed at around 7 am at Maredumilli in Alluri Sitaramaraju district. Even as the identification of the slain Maoists is underway, Laddha said one of them was identified as Meturi Jokha Rao alias Tech Shankar.


Shankar, a native of Srikakulam, was in-charge (CCM) for Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) and had specialised in technical operations such as arms manufacturing and communication, the official said, based on preliminary information. According to Laddha, Shankar had been in the Maoist movement for about 20 years and continuous security operations compelled him to move. Laddha noted that Shankar would have probably come to the southern state to revive the movement.

Chhattisgarh Police described Hidma's death as the final nail in the coffin of the insurgency, who had masterminded several attacks over the last two decades.