A 21-year-old man allegedly attacked two Class 10 students with a power saw inside a government school in Andhra Pradesh's Anantapur district on Saturday morning, leaving one of them critically injured.
The attack took place around 10.30 am at the Zilla Parishad High School in Raptadu village, while a lesson was underway and a teacher was present in the classroom.
Both injured girls were rushed to the Government General Hospital in Anantapur for emergency treatment. One of them is undergoing critical surgery and is expected to be shifted to a hospital in Bengaluru by air ambulance.
Preliminary police information identified the accused as Hemanth alias Dummu. He allegedly fled the school after the attack but was subsequently arrested at Dharmavaram railway station.
The accused is reportedly from Nagalur village in Dharmavaram mandal of Sri Sathya Sai district and is said to be a distant relative of one of the girls.
The incident triggered panic among students and school staff. Police have launched an investigation to establish the sequence of events and determine the motive behind the attack.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock and anger over the attack, saying he was personally monitoring the critically injured student's recovery.
"I am deeply shaken and enraged by the barbaric attack on a Class 10 student inside her classroom at Raptadu ZP High School. Attackers who target our young girls inside schools have no place in our society," he said in a post on X.
Naidu said he had directed the medical team to provide the student with the highest priority care and ordered the police to ensure the accused faced the harshest legal punishment.
Education Minister Nara Lokesh also condemned the attack, describing it as an inhuman act against a girl in a place meant for learning and safety.
In a post on X, Lokesh said Naidu had directed the police to take swift and stringent action against the accused. He added that the safety and dignity of every girl and woman were paramount and that such acts of brutality would not be tolerated.
Former chief minister and YSR Congress Party president YS Jagan Mohan Reddy criticised the state government over the incident, alleging a collapse of law and order under the TDP-led coalition.
In a post on X, he described the attack as a "barbaric chainsaw attack" and questioned how an assailant could enter a government school and assault a student inside a classroom.
Reddy also pointed out that another student was injured while attempting to intervene in the attack. He alleged that the government's focus on political vendetta had allowed criminals to operate without fear of the law.
He demanded immediate medical treatment for the injured students, a transparent investigation, an urgent review of school safety protocols across Andhra Pradesh and accountability from Naidu and Lokesh.