Odisha Police arrest Maoist leader Kunjam Hidma in Koraput

Time of India

3 days ago

Odisha's
Koraput
Police arrested
Maoist leader
Kunjam
Hidma
alias Mohan and recovered a huge cache of
arms and ammunition
, including an AK-47 and 35 rounds of bullets.
According to an official release, based on credible intelligence regarding the movement of a group of banned CPI (Maoist) cadres in the forest area near the village Petguda under Boipariguda Police Station, a
special operation
was launched by the District Police using the district voluntary force (DVF) on the night of May 28.
In the early hours of May 29, the DVF team noticed a group of Maoists camping on the hill. As the team moved to surround it, the Maoists, on being alerted, opened fire at the DVF team and fled into the jungle. In response, the team exercised controlled fire in self-defence.
During the subsequent search, one Maoist cadre, Kunjam Hidma, was apprehended while attempting to hide in the nearby bushes, and others managed to flee, said the officials.
According to the officials, Hidma joined the Maoist organisation in 2007 at 14, as he was inducted into Bal Sangham and Jana Natya Mandali (JNM), the cultural wing of the Maoists.
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From 2007 to 2013, he remained associated with Bal Sangham and JNM. Between 2013 and 2015, he worked as a party member under the Usur Local Organisation Squad (LOS) and received military training, during which he was issued a single-shot rifle.
In 2016, he started operating in the AOB (Andhra Odisha Border) platoon, and later in 2019, he was promoted to the rank of ACM (Area Committee Member) and provided with an SLR rifle. He served in a military platoon under Suresh (SZCM), operating in the Bolpariguda area of Koraput district, the cut-off area of Malkangiri district (Odisha), and the Pedabailu region of ASR district (Andhra Pradesh).
During 2021-2022, he was assigned to AOB Platoon Section-01, operating in the Pamed area of Bijapur district,
Chhattisgarh
.
In 2023, he was transferred to Platoon-24 in the Kerlapal area under Sukma district, and in 2024, temporarily moved to Platoon-26, operating in the Malengiri area of Sukma.
He returned to the AOB unit in May 2025 and has been active since then. Under the leadership of Suresh (SZCM) in the AOB team, he operated as an ACM in the South Bastar and Kerlapal areas of Chhattisgarh, said officials.
Officials said Hidma was involved in several encounters with police and had Maoist-related cases against him in Odisha's Koraput and Malkangiri districts as well as in Chhattisgarh.