Pune land deal sparks row, elusive Maoist commander Hidma killed

A high-level committee probing a controversial Rs 300-crore Pune land deal linked to Parth Pawar, son of Maharashtra Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, has indicted three individuals named in a related police complaint, though Parth Pawar was not mentioned in the findings.

Led by Joint Inspector General of Registration Rajendra Muthe, the committee submitted its report on Tuesday, highlighting “multiple irregularities and violations” in the registration of a sale-purchase agreement covering 40 acres of prime government land in Mundhwa. 

The 43-acre plot, officially government-owned, was sold to Amadea Enterprises LLP for Rs 300 crore—significantly below its estimated market value of up to Rs 1,800 crore—raising questions about the deal’s transparency.

Madvi Hidma, the most-wanted Maoist commander in India’s long-running insurgency, was killed by Andhra Pradesh police on the morning of November 18 in Maredumalli Mandal, Alluri Sitharama Raju district. Five other Maoists, including two women, also died in the operation.

Hidma, a central committee member of the Communist Party of India (Maoist), was the only Chhattisgarhi to reach such a high rank within the Maoist hierarchy. He carried a reward of Rs 1.8 crore.