On Saturday, October 31, at about 10 AM, a man attacked a Class 10 girl with a chainsaw inside her classroom at the Zilla Parishad High School in Raptadu, Anantapur district. A second student who tried to protect her was also injured. Relatives told The South First that the accused, Hemanth, is related to the girl and had been stalking her.
The police account
- Hemanth fled after the attack and hid in the Atmakur forest. Police traced him through calls to relatives and sent special teams in.
- Police say he attacked them with a knife while resisting arrest and injured Raptadu Circle Inspector Venkatesh, so they opened fire. The inspector suffered a hand injury.
- Hemanth, shot in the limbs, was taken to the government hospital in Anantapur in critical condition.
Reports differ on how many rounds were fired. The South First also noted unconfirmed reports that he had already been arrested and was shot while trying to escape custody. No inquiry into the firing has been reported.
The girl's condition and the government's response
Doctors at a government hospital worked for nearly eight hours to stabilise the girl before she was moved to Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru, where she had surgery lasting about 12 hours. Education and IT Minister Nara Lokesh visited on Sunday and said her condition is critical and the next 48 hours are crucial. He promised the family full support for treatment and rehabilitation, said no one responsible would be spared, and asked that the incident not be politicised.
