Maoist commander Hidma was preparing to lay down arms before 'samaaj,' his killing may shatter remaining Maoists' trust to surrender, say Bastar journalists

RAIPUR: “If things had moved just a little faster, Hidma would have surrendered. He was ready, it was very evident,” says the journalist who had been in touch with one of India’s most wanted Maoist commanders until days before news of his killing surfaced. In an exclusive conversation with TOI, the journalist — who met Madvi Hidma multiple times in the forests spanning the Chhattisgarh–Telangana–Andhra belt — described a man torn between ideology, survival, and a growing desire to return to civilian life. “He said the movement must now walk through the Constitution, not guns.” The journalist recalls their last meeting on September 3, deep inside the forests of Indravati National Park. “I told him that senior politburo leaders were warming up to the idea of peace talks,” he says. “