Latest news with #AOB
India Gazette
3 days ago
- India Gazette
Odisha Police arrest Maoist leader Kunjam Hidma in Koraput
Koraput (Odisha) [India], May 30 (ANI): 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. 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. (ANI)
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Odisha Police arrest Maoist leader Kunjam Hidma in Koraput
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. Live Events 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.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Time of India
Wanted Maoist held in Koraput forest with AK-47
Koraput: Kunjam Hidma, a hardcore Maoist wanted in multiple cases across Odisha, Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh, was arrested by security forces in the early hours of Thursday following an exchange of fire in a forested area of Koraput district. Police recovered one AK-47, 35 live cartridges and other Maoist items from Hidma, alias Mohan, an area committee member (ACM) of the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) committee of the banned CPI (Maoist). "We had specific information about Maoist movement at Petguda village in Boipariguda. Acting on it, a district voluntary force (DVF) team led by SDPO (Jeypore) Parth Kashyap and assistant commandant Dibya Prasad Parida launched an operation on Wednesday night," Koraput SP Rohit Verma said. "During the operation, a group of four Maoists were spotted in the forest. Our personnel asked them to surrender, but they opened fire, following which our team retaliated," Verma added. There were no injuries or casualties on either side. Initially, the Maoists managed to flee under the cover of darkness. During a search operation, the DVF team caught Hidma, who was hiding in the bushes. Security officials believe the group was trying to move towards Andhra Pradesh through Boipariguda. Preliminary interrogation revealed Hidma had joined the Maoist in 2007, at the age of 14, through Bal Sangam and Jana Natya Mandali, the rebels' cultural wing. A resident of Janaguda village in Chhattisgarh's Bijapur district, Hidma was inducted into the armed wing of the AOB platoon in 2016 and promoted to ACM in 2019. He reportedly served under Maoist commander Suresh, who operates in the Boipariguda area. Hidma is wanted for his alleged involvement in at least seven cases in Odisha, including four in Koraput and three in Malkangiri. In the wake of the recent killing of Maoist leader Basava Raju in Chhattisgarh, security has been tightened fearing attempts by Maoists to infiltrate into the state. "Additional forces have been deployed, and vulnerable routes, including waterways, have been sealed to prevent Maoist infiltration," DIG (south-western range), Akhileswar Singh, said.
United News of India
4 days ago
- Politics
- United News of India
Notorious Maoist Kunjam Hidma captured by Koraput Police during combing operation
Bhubaneswar, May 29 (UNI) In a significant breakthrough in anti-Maoist operations, the Koraput Police have arrested notorious Maoist leader Kunjam Hidma, alias Mohan, during a combing operation, Koraput SP Rohit Verma informed the media on Thursday. Addressing reporters at the Koraput Police Headquarters, SP Verma said Hidma, also known as Mohan, is a resident of the Usur police station area in Bijapur district of Chhattisgarh. The police recovered one AK-47 rifle, 35 rounds of ammunition, 27 electric detonators, 90 non-electric detonators, 2 kg of gunpowder, Maoist literature, and other incriminating items from his possession. According to the SP, a special team comprising DVF personnel, led by SDPO Jeypore Partha Kashyap, was formed on the night of May 28 based on intelligence inputs about the Maoist movement in the forest near Petguda village under Bypariguda police station limits. Verma said that during the raid, the Maoists opened fire on the DVF team in an attempt to escape. The DVF personnel returned fire in self-defence. While some Maoists managed to flee, Kunjam Hidma was apprehended by the police. Hidma is believed to have been directly involved in several Maoist incidents, including those in Chandmeta (Chhattisgarh) in 2021, Kolengdaba in 2023, Kondajhari (Odisha) in 2020, and Kumbhikhari in 2021. Additionally, he is wanted in four cases registered at Bypariguda police station in Koraput district and three cases at Maithili police station in Malkangiri district of Odisha. The police also suspect his involvement in multiple encounters between Maoists and security forces. Hidma joined the CPI (Maoist) in 2007. He initially became part of the outfit's cultural wings—Baal Sangham and Jananatya Sangh (JNM)—and served as a party member in the Local Organization Squad (LOS) of Usur from 2013 to 2015. In 2016, he was inducted into the Andhra-Odisha Border (AOB) Platoon and was promoted to the rank of ACM (Area Committee Member) in 2019. Between 2021 and 2022, Hidma was posted in Section-01 of the AOB Platoon. In 2023, he was transferred to Platoon-24 in the Keralapal area of Sukma district. In 2024, he was temporarily moved to Platoon-26, operating in the Malengiri region of Sukma. In May 2025, he returned to the AOB unit and was serving as an ACM under Suresh (SZCM) in the South Bastar and Keralapal areas of Chhattisgarh. UNI DP BD
The Hindu
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Hindu
Maoists desperate to regain lost ground in Andhra-Odisha Border after Basavaraju's death
In guerrilla warfare, one of the basic tactics is setting up multiple bases with a small number of rebels under one leader rather than concentrating a big group under a couple of top leaders. This is done to see that the movement lives, even if one group retreats due to the offensive of the security forces or finished by them. This strategy was strictly being followed under the leadership of CPI (Maoist) general secretary Nambala Keshava Rao alias Basavaraju, who was killed by the security forces in Chhattisgarh on May 21. With his death, will the strategy change? Senior police officers say that it may not. Coming under intense security pressure at Chhattisgarh and with the literal blockade of Korragutta in Chhattisgarh, where the bulk of the Maoist military wing is said to have holed up, the leaders and cadres who had once held the sway in Andhra Odisha Border (AOB) region, are desperate to rejuvenate the movement in this area. The AOB has always been a fertile ground for the banned CPI (Maoist) for its inaccessible terrain and thick forest cover. About 60% of AOB is inaccessible by road. Certain areas such as Galikonda and Gurtedu are thickly forested, making the combing operation difficult. A Maoist document recovered from an encounter site mentioned a proposal about shifting the entire central committee team to the region in case of extreme emergency. In June 2021, after the Teegalametta encounter in Alluri Sitharama Raju district, in which six top Maoist leaders were killed, the entire group of Maoists led by Kakuri Pandana alias Jagan, Gajarla Ravi alias Uday and Aruna, had vacated the AOB. By September 2021, the team of 30 to 40 Maoists had moved to Dandakaranya zone of Chhattisgarh and were operating for the DKSZC (Dandakaranya Special Zonal Committee). They have been trying to regroup since August 2022. They conducted surveys and two teams — one led by Jagan and the other led by Uday and Aruna — entered the AOB in May 2024, through the Konta block of Chhattisgarh and Kailmela region of AOB, said a senior officer engaged in anti-Maoist operations. Lying low However, they have been lying low, shifting between Kalimela and Galikonda regions. The Maoist movement depends on two verticals – one is the political movement, which is used to spread their ideology and recruit new entrants, and the military vertical, which is used to attack security forces. The Maoists are unable to conduct open meetings now to motivate and recruit new cadres. The tribals, who were once sympathisers of the Maoists, are refusing to join as they are happy with the government schemes and benefits. On the other hand, the combing operations are getting intensified. As per sources, Maoists are hiding. The group of five to seven Maoists led by Jagan are in disarray, especially after the death of Jagan and Ramesh in an encounter this year. Meanwhile, the strength of the other group led by Uday and Aruna, who had moved in with about 30 cadres, have dwindled to 20 with a string of surrenders. Son of the soil The last link between the tribals and the Maoists was Jagan. His death was a huge blow to the movement. Jagan, a tribal from GK Veedhi, became the SZCM (Special Zonal Committee Member). He had held sway among the locals in the Maoist-hit mandals of ASR district. He was the last of the tribals to rise to the top levels after Kudumula Ravi, who died of illness in 2016, and Bakuri Venkataramana alias Ganesh, who was killed in Ramaguda encounter. The only connection that the tribals now have with the Maoists is Uday. Though a non-tribal from Telangana, he commands respect among the locals, unlike Aruna, who has fallen out of favour due to her high-handed attitude. Sources say that Uday, who has been inducted into the Central Committee, is not in the best of his health. Given his health condition and intense pressure from the security forces, it would be difficult for him to gain a foothold. Right now, they (Maoists) are in a hibernation mode, waiting for a weak phase in the security blockade to make their move, which is unlikely, as the offensive would continue, said a senior officer.
