Bloodstains, empty classrooms and fear: Andhra school struggles after chainsaw attack

The haphazardly discarded shoes, scattered books and lumps of partly dried blood are enough to send a chill down anyone's spine. Inside this classroom at the Zilla Parishad High School in Rapthadu in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district, a 21-year-old man walked in carrying a chainsaw and attacked a 15-year-old girl, leaving her critically injured. Another student who tried to protect her was also wounded. The brutal attack on October 31 has since triggered outrage across the state.The classroom remains closed as a crime scene. But the evidence of the horror that unfolded here is still visible. The blood splattered across the floor, the belongings left behind in haste and the images of the attack offer a grim reminder of what the students and teachers witnessed.On October 31, at around 10.30 am, while a lesson was underway, the accused, identified as Hemanth alias Dummu, entered Class 10 carrying a running chainsaw and attacked Gopika, a student. She suffered severe injuries to her face, neck and abdomen, and her right hand was nearly severed. Lakshmi, another student, was injured when she tried to intervene and save her friend. Hemanth fled the school, leaving the chainsaw behind.The horrific attack has left parents and students deeply shaken, a fear reflected in the poor attendance when the school reopened on Monday, November 2. Only around five students had turned up, most of them boys. The school gate, which had earlier been unsecured, was now guarded by three people. Anyone entering the premises had to establish their identity. The classroom has been sealed off as a crime scene until the investigation concludes. “We are very scared now,” a teacher standing guard at the gate said.Among the few students who came to school, some were offered a demonstration of amateur self-defence techniques. The instructor explained certain pressure points that could incapacitate a potential assailant. The boys giggled among themselves, seemingly unconvinced by the exercise.One student, who noticed me observing the conversation, turned towards me and asked a question that cut through the demonstration’s reassuring premise.“How am I supposed to touch his finger when he is carrying a chainsaw?”The matter-of-fact question, and the logic behind it, momentarily eased the tension I felt watching the children. But it also laid bare the inadequacy of the exercise in addressing the fear they were carrying.Among the mediapersons visiting the school were trained volunteers who offered to counsel students and help them cope with the trauma.The school administration, meanwhile, appeared keen to project a return to normalcy. But the near-empty classrooms told a different story about how parents and students were feeling.Obulesh, a resident of Anantapur, came to the school to take his son Hemanth, a Class 10 student, home. His son had been staying in the hostel, but the attack has made Obulesh reconsider whether it is safe for the boy to remain there.“I am taking him home until November 18,” he said. “I don’t know what my son is going through. We need some time to think about sending him back to school,” he added, visibly dejected.Nagaraju, Lakshmi’s father, said the school should remain closed at least until the matter was “resolved”.Meanwhile, the accused who allegedly tried to escape was shot by the police on Sunday. According to Anantapur Superintendent of Police P Jagadeesh, Hemanth allegedly resisted arrest and attacked a police inspector with a knife, injuring him. Police fired six rounds, leaving Hemanth critically injured. Gopika is currently in Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru availing advanced treatment.