In one of the most successful anti-Naxal operations this year, Andhra Pradesh Police confirmed the killing of seven Maoists, including three women, in an early morning encounter in the Maredumilli forests of the Alluri Sitarama Raju (ASR) district on 19th November.
Among the dead was Meturi Jokha Rao alias Shankar, an Area Committee Member (ACM) and the technical specialist of the Maoist organisation. Shankar, a native of Srikakulam, was known for assembling improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and had designed several landmines used in past attacks on security forces.
According to ADG (Intelligence) Mahesh Chandra Ladda, the encounter followed precise intelligence inputs and was part of a larger multi-agency crackdown that began on 17th November.
“This was one of the most specific intelligence-based operations in the history of Andhra Pradesh Police. We will continue until Andhra becomes a Maoist-free state,”
said ADG Ladda.
The police confirmed that 50 Maoists were arrested during coordinated raids across NTR, Krishna, Eluru, Kakinada, and Konaseema districts. Among them were three Special Zonal Committee (SZC) members, five Divisional Committee members, and 19 Area Committee members, apart from armed platoon operatives and logistics handlers. Large quantities of arms and explosives were recovered.
Officials added that the Maoists were attempting to enter Andhra from Chhattisgarh and Telangana following the elimination of top commander Madvi Hidma on 18th November, the most wanted Naxal leader linked to over two dozen deadly ambushes.
Madvi Hidma’s Death Marks Turning Point in Anti-Naxal Operations
Just a day earlier, security forces eliminated Madvi Hidma, India’s most wanted Naxal commander, in the same forest belt. Known as the shadowy face of Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), Hidma was behind the 2010 Dantewada massacre, the 2013 Jhiram Valley attack that wiped out senior Congress leadership, and multiple CRPF ambushes across Bastar.
His death, security officials said, was a strategic victory decades in the making, achieved through meticulous coordination under Operation Kagar, the national counter-insurgency plan launched by the Modi government in 2024.
A Decade of Decline: The Fall of the Naxal Network
Data released by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) shows the results of this relentless campaign. Between May 2014 and September 2025, over 8,700 Naxals have surrendered, 1,801 have been neutralised, and more than 5,200 arms have been recovered.
The figures confirm a clear trend: the Maoist network has collapsed from a widespread insurgency to isolated remnants confined to three districts in Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
States like Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Maharashtra, and Odisha, once deeply affected, are now witnessing near-total neutralisation of the movement. Intelligence agencies confirm that coordinated inter-state operations, coupled with infrastructure and employment initiatives, have eroded the Maoists’ recruitment base.
March 2026: The Target of a Naxal-Free Bharat
Union Home Minister Amit Shah has repeatedly declared that India will be completely free from Naxalism by March 2026. Under his leadership, the government adopted a two-pronged approach, decisive military operations combined with development-led integration of previously neglected tribal and forest regions.
Operation Kagar, involving CRPF, CoBRA, and state police forces, has pushed deep into forest belts that were once impregnable Maoist zones. Modern surveillance, unmanned aerial systems, and coordinated intelligence sharing have replaced the old defensive posture with proactive strikes.
The fall of leaders like Hidma, Uday, Aruna, and now Shankar shows that the Maoist leadership has been dismantled from top to bottom. With the destruction of their command chain, the ideology of armed rebellion is losing both manpower and moral ground.
From Red Corridor to Growth Corridor
Over the last decade, the so-called “Red Corridor” has steadily turned into a Growth Corridor. Roads, mobile connectivity, schools, and healthcare centres now stand where once landmines and ambushes ruled. Villages that lived under Maoist fear now see tricolour rallies and police-community dialogues.
This transformation underscores the Modi government’s doctrine, that national security and development are inseparable. Every encounter that eliminates a Maoist commander is not just a tactical success; it restores control, confidence, and normalcy to Indian soil long denied peace.
Also read: Hindu Organisations Protest Seat Allocation at Mata Vaishno Devi Medical College
The Endgame of a Long War
The killing of seven Maoists and the arrest of 50 Maoists in Andhra, coming right after the death of Madvi Hidma, is more than a coincidence; it is the culmination of a decade-long offensive that has systematically dismantled India’s deadliest insurgency.
For years, Maoists claimed to fight for the poor; today, their ideology stands exposed as a tool of violence and fear, rejected by the very people they claimed to represent.
With each fallen cadre and surrendered weapon, India moves closer to Amit Shah’s vision, a Naxal-free Bharat, where peace and development replace decades of bloodshed.
