Andhra school horror: Man attacks Class 10 girl with chainsaw, injures another

Trigger warning: The story contains graphic details of an assault involving minors. Some readers may find the details of this report disturbing. Discretion is advised.

A 15-year-old Class 10 student was seriously injured after a 21-year-old man allegedly entered her classroom and attacked her with a chainsaw. The incident happened at Zilla Parishad High School in Rapthadu mandal headquarters of Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district on Saturday (Oct 31). Another girl, who tried to save her, was also wounded.

What happened at the Andhra school?

The accused, identified as Hemanth, allegedly entered the classroom in the morning before the classes began and started attacking the girl, Gopika, with the chainsaw, which is used for cutting wood. She sustained serious injuries to her neck and abdomen, while her right hand was nearly severed. Another girl, Lakshmi, was also injured when she tried to intervene and save Gopika.

The accused fled the scene, leaving the girl in a pool of blood. Fellow students sounded the alarm, after which the school staff reached the classroom. The injured girls were rushed to a nearby hospital, and local police were alerted.

The incident triggered panic among students and teachers at the school. According to reports, several students who witnessed the attack fainted or broke down. Parents of the victims and other students have questioned how a man wielding a chainsaw was able to enter the school premises and enter the classroom.

What we know about accused

Police launched a search operation to trace the accused and later arrested him near Dharmavaram in Sri Sathya Sai district. A case has been registered, and further investigation is underway.

Preliminary findings suggest that the accused is a distant relative of Gopika 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.

CM Naidu speaks to girl and her mother

Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that he was “deeply shaken and enraged by the barbaric attack”. He added that he has ordered the harshest legal punishment for him.

“I am deeply shaken and enraged by the barbaric attack on a Class 10 student inside her classroom at Raptadu ZP High School. Attackers who target our young girls inside schools have no place in our society,” CM Naidu said in a post on X. “I am personally tracking her recovery and have directed the medical team to give her the highest priority care. I have ordered the police to hunt down the monster responsible and deliver the harshest legal punishment swiftly.”

According to a statement released by the CMO, the chief minister spoke with the victim who was attacked by a “madman”. He assured her to stay brave and promised that the accused would be “severely punished”.

“Chief Minister Shri Nara Chandrababu Naidu spoke over the phone with the 10th-grade student who was attacked by a madman at the District Parishad High School in Rapthadu, Anantapur district, in the presence of her mother. The CM assured her to stay brave and promised that the accused would be caught and severely punished. He gave her confidence that all efforts would be made to protect that student and that the government would stand fully by her side,” the CMO statement read.

It added, “The CM also spoke with local MLA Smt. Paritala Sunita about the medical assistance being provided to the student. The CM directed the relevant officials to ensure better treatment is provided to another student who was also injured in the madman attack.”