The assault erupted in a Class‑10 classroom at Zilla Parishad High School, Raptadu village, Anantapur district, when 21‑year‑old Hemanth Dummu barreled in wielding a chainsaw, striking two girls in the midst of a lesson at roughly 10:30 a.m.
The victims were rushed to Government General Hospital, Anantapur, where one sustains critical injuries and is scheduled for surgery; authorities have arranged an air ambulance to transfer her to a Bengaluru hospital.
Police apprehended Dummu at Dharmavaram railway station after the attacker fled the school premises. He is a resident of Nagalur in Dharmavaram mandal, Sri Sathya Sai district, and is said to be a distant relative of one of the victims.
Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu condemned the “barbaric attack” on X, vowing swift legal action, while Education Minister N. Lokesh denounced the incident as “utterly reprehensible” and demanded stringent punishment.
Investigators are probing the motive behind the assault and will file a charge sheet against Dummu for assault and endangering safety; the case is slated for a judicial hearing in the coming weeks.