India, Nov. 18 -- Security forces have killed top CPI (Maoist) commander Hidma in an intense encounter in the Maredmilli forests on the Chhattisgarh-Andhra Pradesh border, delivering one of the most decisive blows to the Maoist insurgency in years.

For those who have been following naxalism for long, the killing of Hidma signifies the end of naxal movement for all practical purposes.

Hidma, aged 44, was born in 1981 in Poovarti village of Sukma and belonged to the Bastar region. He had risen from a village youth to become the youngest member of the CPI (Maoist) Central Committee and the commander of PLGA's Battalion No. 1, the outfit's deadliest fighting unit. His wife Raje, also known as Rajakka, and four other Maoists were killed alon...