The reports emerged on Monday as two major anti-Naxal operations unfolded in the Bastar region. One encounter occurred near the inter-state border, while the second took place in the Errabor police station limits of Sukma district, where six Naxalites were killed early in the morning.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah held a phone conversation with senior officers supervising the operation. Chhattisgarh Home Minister Vijay Sharma also acknowledged that inputs regarding Hidma’s death had been received, though he said a formal announcement would be made only after verification.
Security forces launched the Errabor offensive after intelligence inputs indicated a heavy concentration of Maoist cadres in the nearby forest belt. A DRG (District Reserve Guard) team moved into the area overnight, and an exchange of fire broke out at first light when Naxalites reportedly spotted the approaching personnel. Search operations are continuing, with forces still deployed at the site.
The latest encounters come amid intensified anti-Naxal activity in the region. On 16 November, three Maoists carrying rewards of ₹15 lakh each were killed in a gunfight near the Bhejji–Chintagufa border. Five days earlier, on 11 November, six Naxalitesincluding three women were shot dead in Bijapur district’s National Park area. Among the slain were Buchanna, the Madder Area Committee in-charge, and Urmila, wife of senior Maoist leader Paparao, who again evaded capture.
Police said the Naxalites killed in last week’s Bijapur encounter carried a total bounty of ₹27 lakh. Investigators expect clearer information on Monday’s operation once combing teams complete the search of the forested terrain.
