A group of 12 students from Osmania University, Hyderabad, were stopped on the tri-State border of Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, and Odisha at Chintoor on Friday (December 05, 2025). They were heading towards Maredumilli forest for fact-finding on the November 18, 2025, encounter, where Madvi Hidma, a top commander of the banned CPI (Maoist), was among six Maoists eliminated by the security forces.
The members of the fact-finding team represented various organisations including Progressive Democratic Students Organisation (PDSU). Many of them are Law students of Osmania University.
The Chintoor police led by Assistant Superintendent of Police Boddu Hemanth stopped them at Andhra Pradesh borders, preventing them from visiting the encounter site.
Speaking to a section of media in front of Chintoor police station, the fact-finding members said, “We are on the way to visit Maredumilli agency to see the encounter site, interact with the locals and police officials who were involved in the operation in the wake of allegations that Mr. Hidma was captured alive and killed in the Maredumilli forests”.
Six Maoists, including Madvi Hidma, Central Committee Member and South Bastar Battalion Commandant of the CPI (Maoist), were killed in an alleged encounter in Papikonda National Park on November 18 morning at Maredumilli agency in Alluri Sitarama Raju district. The other five Maoists eliminated were Mr. Hidma’s wife Raje, and his gunmen – Deve, Lakmal and Kamlu.
Operation in progress
Speaking to The Hindu over phone, Chintoor Assistant Superintendent of Police Boddu Hemanth said, “The fact-finding team from the Osmania University have been briefed about the situation on the ground in the Maredumilli agency in the wake of ongoing Operation Sambhav. We could not allow them to visit the Maredumilli agency due to ongoing anti-Naxal operations”. The fact-finding team returned to Hyderabad by Friday evening, said Mr. Hemanth.
In an official release, Human Rights Forum Andhra Pradesh State president K.V. Jagannadha Rao has condemned the detention of the 12-member fact-finding team on the tri-State borders at Chintoor.
Published – December 05, 2025 08:01 pm IST
