Rapthadu school attack: How life changed in an instant for a teen girl in Andhra

Ayyavaripalli village in Andhra Pradesh’s Anantapur district is struggling to come to terms with a brutal attack on a 14-year-old schoolgirl.

On October 31, Hemanth allegedly walked into a Class 10 classroom at Rapthadu Zilla Parishad School carrying a running chainsaw and attacked Gopika. Another student, Lakshmi, was injured while trying to save her friend.

Villagers and relatives recall Hemanth’s occasional visits to the neighbourhood, but say they never suspected he could carry out such an attack. Police sources say he was allegedly upset after Gopika rejected him and had been stalking her.

This ground report from Rapthadu examines the circumstances leading up to the attack, the community's response and the larger issue of stalking and harassment that often goes unreported until it turns violent.