Visakhapatnam: The killing of top CPI (Maoist) commander Madvi Hidma in an intelligence-led operation in the Maredumilli forest of Andhra Pradesh marks one of the most significant blows to left-wing extremism in recent years.

Security forces launched the action after tracking senior Maoist movements along the Andhra Pradesh–Chhattisgarh border, an area that has historically served as a strategic corridor for Maoist regrouping. The state has seen intermittent attempts by Maoist cadres to revive their presence, even as sustained counter-insurgency operations and development drives have reduced their footprint over the past decade. Authorities say Hidma’s death not only disrupts the Maoists’ command structure but also comes at a time when the group has been trying to reorganise its units a

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