AHMEDABAD: A disturbing incident from the Valod taluka of Tapi district has sent shockwaves through Gujarat after a 13-year-old girl, studying in Class 9 at High School (Ashram School), was allegedly attacked by her classmate, inside the school premises on Wednesday.
According to preliminary information, the accused student allegedly lured the victim to a washroom located on the third floor of the school building, on the pretext that something was stuck on her shirt.
However, moments after reaching the washroom, the situation allegedly turned violent.
The accused girl is said to have suddenly grabbed the victim by the throat, forced her to the ground and then launched a brutal assault using a sharp object that had allegedly been concealed beforehand. In the attack, the victim suffered a deep and grievous wound to her hand, triggering chaos and panic within the school campus.
As the injured student bled profusely, school authorities rushed her for emergency medical assistance. She was initially taken to a government facility in Vyara, where doctors provided urgent first aid to control the bleeding. However, given the severity of her condition, she was later shifted to a hospital in Surat for specialised treatment.
Doctors treating the girl described the injury as extremely serious. Medical examinations revealed that the wound had penetrated deep enough to reach the bone. The attack had reportedly severed both the radial and ulnar arteries, causing massive blood loss. Furthermore, critical nerves responsible for hand and finger movement, including the median and ulnar nerves, were also damaged. Several major tendons controlling muscle movement were cut, leaving the girl's hand temporarily non-functional.
A specialist medical team led by vascular surgeon Dr Snehal Dixit carried out an extensive procedure to save the child's hand and restore blood circulation.
After hours of surgery, doctors successfully repaired the damaged arteries, nerves and tendons. Nearly 20 stitches were required to close the wound. Hospital authorities said blood flow to the hand has been restored and remains stable, although the child will require prolonged recovery and monitoring before regaining full function.
Meanwhile, the victim’s family has been left devastated by the incident. Recounting the horrifying sequence of events, the girl's father said the family received a call from the school informing them that their daughter had been injured.
"We immediately started for the school. However, while we were on the way, we received another call informing us that her condition was serious and she was being shifted to the government hospital in Vyara. We rushed there directly. When we met our daughter, she was crying and narrated the entire incident to us," the father said.
According to him, there had been no known dispute between his daughter and the accused. There was neither any longstanding rivalry nor any major disagreement that could explain such a violent attack, he said.
"My daughter barely knew the student who attacked her. They had come into contact only about a week ago. There was no old enmity, resentment or serious conflict between them," he said.
As authorities continue to examine the circumstances leading to the violence, the incident has sparked widespread concern among parents and local residents over safety and supervision inside educational institutions.
