A 15-year-old student is in critical care after she was allegedly attacked with a chainsaw inside her Zilla Parishad school in Raptadu, Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, with police deploying 15 teams to investigate how the 21-year-old suspect entered the campus.
The girl was shifted to Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru during the early hours of Saturday after undergoing treatment at Anantapur Hospital. She was operated upon on Saturday night and later moved to the intensive care unit, according to her grandfather, who spoke to The Indian Express.
Her family said she had left home for school after completing her homework and telling her mother that she would return soon. The grandfather said he saw her board an autorickshaw to school and that the family had never heard her mention the alleged attacker or complain that she was being troubled.
The incident occurred at about 10.30 am while a Class 10 mathematics lesson was under way. According to details previously shared by the Andhra Pradesh Police with The Indian Express, the school’s main gate was closed and students were inside their classrooms. The watchman allegedly went inside to fetch a bucket of water for plants on the premises, during which time the suspect is believed to have entered the school.
Police suspect that the assailant may have waited outside the school gate for hours before gaining entry. The report did not provide further details on the motive or on how the suspect was identified and apprehended.
The girl’s brother, who had studied at the same school before discontinuing his intermediate education, was among the first family members to reach the classroom after the attack. By then, other people had moved the injured student to Anantapur Hospital. He saw blood covering the classroom floor, the grandfather said.
The student’s family also expressed gratitude to a friend who attempted to stop the attacker and suffered deep injuries. The family said it hoped the friend would recover soon.
The girl’s grandfather said doctors had told the family that she no longer faced a threat to her life, but she remained in intensive care and had not regained consciousness when he spoke to the newspaper. The family was waiting for her to open her eyes after the surgery.
The incident has placed attention on access control at government schools, where a closed main gate may still depend on a single watchman’s continuous presence to prevent unauthorised entry. The available report does not establish whether the school had additional security personnel, visitor checks or surveillance systems.
The Andhra Pradesh Police have pressed 15 teams into the investigation. Further details on the suspect, the motive and the security procedures followed at the school are expected as the inquiry progresses.
