Doctors Remove Accused Attacker’s Right Leg After Police Shooting

A right leg was removed after blood stopped reaching it and gangrene set in. Doctors at Anantapur Government General Hospital removed Hemanth’s leg after he was wounded by police gunfire during his arrest. The hospital superintendent said his condition was stable after surgery. Doctors also operated on his injured left leg. The amputation followed an attack that has left a school community shaken. ^2,3

That attack happened on October 31, when Hemanth allegedly entered a Class 10 classroom at Zilla Parishad High School in Raptadu, Andhra Pradesh, carrying a running chainsaw. He attacked 15-year-old Gopika, who suffered severe injuries, and wounded Lakshmi, another student who tried to help her. Police later found Hemanth in the Atmakur forest area. They said he attacked an officer with a knife during the arrest attempt and fired at him. ^4,11

Gopika is being treated at a Bengaluru hospital and has begun to improve. Andhra Pradesh Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav said doctors had removed her ventilator. She could speak a few words, and doctors were reducing her oxygen support.³ At the school, attendance fell sharply after classes resumed: one report counted about five students present, while another reported 28 out of 300 enrolled. The attack has raised urgent questions about student safety and how schools can respond to threats in the classroom. ^4,5

That safety concern now sits alongside questions about the police shooting. Advocates have asked the Andhra Pradesh High Court for an independent investigation and to preserve CCTV footage, medical records and other evidence. The court is due to hear the petition on Tuesday, November 3.^12,14 Meanwhile, police have filed serious charges against Hemanth, including attempted murder and trespass. He remains in hospital under treatment. ^2,10