India, Nov. 19 -- The killing of Madvi Hidma the most feared, brutal and operationally effective Maoist commander in Bastar - is not merely another successful encounter. It marks the culmination of a six-year counter-insurgency doctrine personally driven by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, one that combined political clarity, operational aggression and unprecedented state-state coordination.

From the moment Shah took charge of the Home Ministry in June 2019, he made it publicly, repeatedly and forcefully clear that Naxalism would be eliminated. Not reduced. Not contained. Eliminated. He said this in Parliament and in multiple public programmes with a conviction intended not only for citizens but also for Maoist leadership and their sympath...