• Hindustan Zinc surges as much as 9.5% to 477.50 rupees, highest since January 25

• Stock second-best pct gainer on Nifty mid-cap index , which is up ~ 2%

• Spot silver inching closer to 12-year peak hit in October 2024 primary catalyst for HZNC, says Kranthi Bathini, director of equity strategy at WealthMills Securities

• Spot silver has jumped 9.3% so far in March on strong safe-haven demand

• Hindustan Zinc is India's top silver producer

• HZNC up 18% so far in March

• Stock last up 7.3% extends YTD gains to 4%

(Reporting by Sethuraman NR in Bengaluru)

((; ; Reuters Messaging: ))