The scars of chainsaw attack inside Andhra school lingers on

The Hindu · Hareesh P · 2026-11-06 05:30 UTC

After a chainsaw attack at Raptadu’s ZPHS, authorities push counselling and security measures as parents fear for students’ safety.

RAPTADU “It all happened in seconds. It was not just shocking; it was terrifying. We ran out of the classroom as he [the accused] attacked our classmate with a chainsaw. There were cries of fear and panic,” recalls 16-year-old B. Sudershan, a Class X Section A student at Zilla Parishad High School (ZPHS), Anantapur district’s Raptadu, who witnessed the brutal attack on M. Gopika on October 31. The accused, Hemanth, 20, armed with an electric chainsaw, arrived at the ZPHS, went straight to Gopika’s classroom, and attacked her in the face and hands, causing grievous injuries. While all the other students ran for safety, Gopika’s friend Lakshmi was the only one who mustered courage and tried saving her.

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