Class 10 student, friend attacked with chainsaw in Andhra school, accused held

A 15-year-old Class 10 student of a zilla parishad school in Anantapur district, Andhra Pradesh, was seriously injured after a 21-year-old man allegedly entered her classroom and attacked her with a mechanised chainsaw on Friday.

The girl suffered deep cuts to her neck and abdomen, and her right hand was nearly severed. Another girl, who tried to intervene, was also injured. Both are battling for their lives at a private hospital, said the police.

The accused, a relative of the girl, was arrested from Dharmavaram railway station. He is a wholesale tomato vendor. Police teams are investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident. “She hardly spoke with anyone.

She is shy and only interested in her studies. She is close only to the friend who tried to protect her. We do not know if he spoke with her or pursued her. Every morning, she went by autorickshaw to school with other students and returned in the same vehicle,” one relative said.

Her brother said: “She is a brilliant student.” 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.

I am personally tracking her recovery and have directed the medical team to give her the highest priority care. I have ordered the police to hunt down the monster responsible and deliver the harshest legal punishment swiftly.

— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) October 31, 2026 Anantapuram Circle Inspector C Srikanth said the school's main gate was closed and all students were in their classrooms when the incident occurred. Around 10.30 am, when a Class 10 mathematics lesson was underway, the school watchman went inside to fetch a bucket of water for the plants on the premises.

The accused allegedly entered the school during that time. Police said eyewitness accounts indicate that the man may have been waiting outside the school for several hours before the attack. The girl's brother is also reported to be studying at the same school.

“The family is distraught and is not in a position to give a statement. We have to establish if there was any connection between the suspect and the girl before the attack,” a police officer said. The Zilla Parishad school has several CCTV cameras and police have collected the recordings.

With the incident leaving students and teachers shaken, the school will remain closed on Monday. A multi-disciplinary team of doctors is treating the girl and her friend. They may be shifted to a super-speciality hospital in Bengaluru for advanced treatment.

The incident has triggered outrage across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, with politicians and citizens expressing concern. Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu expressed deep anguish over the attack. He spoke to officials to enquire about the girl's condition.

He directed the medical team to accord her the highest priority and provide the best possible care. Condemning the attack, he said those who target young girls inside schools have no place in society. Naidu spoke to the student's mother over the phone and assured her that the accused would be punished.

He assured the family that every possible effort would be made to save the student’s life. Education Minister N Lokesh Naidu expressed deep shock over the incident. “We will crush such maniacs with an iron fist… There will be no leniency for anyone—no matter how powerful they may be—who shows negligence regarding the safety of children,” he warned.

Sreenivas Janyala is a Deputy Associate Editor at The Indian Express, where he serves as one of the ... Read More