ANANTAPUR: The police opened fire six times on M Hemanth, who attacked Mudaga Gopika, a Class X student, with a chainsaw at the Zilla Parishad High School in Raptadu, when he allegedly hurled stones at police personnel in the Atmakur forest area, and attempted to attack them with a knife during a search operation.
Disclosing this to newsmen on Sunday, Anantapur district Superintendent of Police P Jagadeesh said special teams were formed to trace the accused involved in the ghastly attack.
Acting on specific information that Hemanth was hiding in the Atmakur forest area, police teams launched an intensive search operation. On seeing the police personnel, the accused allegedly pelted stones and attempted to attack them with a knife. In retaliation, police fired six rounds. Hemanth sustained serious injuries in the firing, and was shifted to the Government General Hospital in Anantapur, the SP said.
Lokesh visits hospital
Minister for HRD and IT Nara Lokesh on Sunday spoke with doctors at Bengaluru’s Manipal Hospital to review the health condition and ongoing treatment of the chainsaw attack victim.
He said the next 48 hours would be critical, and appealed to people across Andhra Pradesh to pray for the schoolgirl’s recovery.
Calling her “our daughter”, he said Gopika needed everyone’s support and prayers during this difficult time. Assuring the girl’s family of complete government support, Lokesh said the incident was extremely unfortunate, and should not be politicised.
Lokesh promises good care for girl, safety at schools
He emphasised that ensuring the girl’s healthcare, continued medical treatment and subsequent rehabilitation was his personal and the government’s responsibility. He acknowledged that the ghastly attack had highlighted the need to further strengthen existing safety systems and processes at schools.
Making it clear that the government had taken the matter very seriously, and would not shy away from its responsibility, Lokesh assured that strict measures would be put in place to ensure that such incidents do not recur in Andhra Pradesh in the future.
Issuing a stern warning against harassment and indecent behaviour towards women, the HRD Minister said anyone making inappropriate remarks or behaving indecently towards women in Andhra Pradesh would face severe consequences.
Mental health counsellors to help students overcome fear
Minister for HRD and IT Nara Lokesh has initiated special measures to address fear and anxiety among students following the recent incident at Rapthadu in Anantapur district.
A team of 20 mental health counsellors has been constituted to provide psychological support to students affected by the incident and help them regain their confidence.
As part of the initiative, counsellors are visiting the homes of all 32 students of Class X Section A, in which the incident took place, and interacting with the students and their parents.
The counselling programme will also cover the homes of all girl students studying in Classes VIII, IX and X. The counsellors will assess their emotional well-being and provide the necessary support.
