Man Arrested After Chainsaw Attack Injures Two Students at School

Police had arrested Hemanth by the time the latest reports appeared, after a chainsaw attack in a classroom left one Class 10 student critically injured and another hurt. The 21-year-old was taken into custody at Dharmavaram railway station, according to reports published shortly after the attack. It happened Saturday morning at a government school in Raptadu, in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district. ^1,4

At Raptadu Zilla Parishad High School, lessons were under way and a teacher was in the room when Hemanth allegedly entered with a running saw and attacked a girl. More than 30 students were reportedly present. A second student was injured while trying to stop him; the attacker then fled, and police later arrested him. The badly injured girl was taken to Anantapur’s Government General Hospital for emergency care. Reports say she was in critical condition and undergoing surgery. ^1,4,7

The attack has prompted questions about how an outsider carrying a power saw got into a classroom with more than 30 children. Schoolwork was under way, and a teacher said staff initially thought the sound might be coming from workers. The reports differ on details: some say there was one attacker, while an early report described two unidentified youths. Police have not publicly established a motive in the more detailed reports. Claims that the accused was related to the victim or had been rejected by her remain allegations in some outlets. ^3,10,11,12

The injured girl’s immediate need is care: Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu said he was monitoring her recovery and directed doctors to give her priority treatment. Reports said officials were considering moving her to a Bengaluru hospital by air ambulance. Police are questioning the arrested suspect and investigating what led to the attack. The incident has also brought school access and student safety under scrutiny. ^4,8,18