Andhra chainsaw school attacker shot in police encounter while trying to flee

The 21-year-old man accused of brutally attacking two Class 10 girls with a chainsaw inside their classroom was shot by police after he allegedly tried to escape and attack the security personnel with a knife. According to reports, the police fired 6 rounds in self-defence on Sunday (Nov 1) around 6:30 pm. Hemanth, the accused, was seriously injured in the incident and was taken to a government general hospital in Anantapur.

Reportedly, Hemanth, also known as Dummu, was hiding in the Atmakur forest near Raptadu. An intensive search operation was launched to apprehend him. When the police located him and attempted to arrest him, he resisted and pelted stones at the officials. Hemanth allegedly also tried to attack the police personnel with a knife and attempted to escape. Reports added that several police officers also sustained injuries while trying to apprehend him, after which the police opened fire at him in self-defence, critically injuring him.

According to an Indian Express report, an Andhra Pradesh police source said, “The accused was hiding in Atmakur forest near Raptadu.”

The police source added, “The accused was not in custody. He had turned off his phone and had gone into hiding. Fifteen police teams were pressed into action to comb the forest. We found him and he attacked police officials on duty.”

What happened at Andhra school?

The accused allegedly entered the classroom at Zilla Parishad High School in Rapthadu mandal headquarters of Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district around 10 am. He began attacking the 15-year-old student with a chainsaw, which is used for cutting wood. She sustained severe injuries to her face, head and neck. Another girl was also injured when she tried to intervene and save her.

According to initial information, the accused is a distant relative of the teen and had been harassing her for some time. Reportedly, he held a grudge against her after she warned him to stay away and threatened to inform her parents about his advances.

‘Next 48 hours remain critical for girl’

The girl was first admitted to Anantapur Government General Hospital, where doctors spent nearly eight hours stabilising her before she was transferred to Bengaluru via a green corridor. At Manipal Hospital, surgeons operated for almost 12 hours. She had suffered severe injuries, including a severed right hand, multiple fractures and blood vessel damage, and required 10 units of blood.

Andhra Pradesh HRD and IT Minister N Lokesh Naidu on Sunday (Nov 1) visited the family at the hospital in Bengaluru and spoke to doctors about the condition of the girl. In a post on X he said, “Visited Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru to oversee the medical care of the young girl injured in the horrific Raptadu incident. Doctors have successfully completed the necessary surgeries, and her condition is stable, though the next 48 hours remain critical. We are continuously monitoring her progress. I assured her parents that our government and I will support them in every possible way. The culprit behind this heinous attack will face the strictest punishment under the law. Praying for her speedy and complete recovery.”