Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday expressed deep anguish over the brutal attack on a Class 10 girl student inside her classroom at Zilla Parishad High School in Raptadu of Anantapur district.

A Class 10 girl student is undergoing emergency medical treatment after being brutally attacked with a chainsaw inside her school premises in Raptadu, leaving her with severe injuries to her face, head, and throat, officials said.

The girl sustained deep wounds to her neck and abdomen, while her right hand was reportedly almost severed in the assault.

Another girl student, who attempted to intervene and save her, was also seriously injured during the attack. Both victims are currently battling for their lives at a private hospital.

The Chief Minister expressed shock over the incident and spoke to officials to enquire about her condition and the treatment being provided.

Personally monitoring her recovery, CM Naidu directed the medical team to accord her the highest priority and provide the best possible care.

Condemning the attack in the strongest terms, he said, “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 have ordered the police to hunt down the monster responsible and deliver the harshest legal punishment swiftly,” he added.

Later, CM Naidu spoke to the student’s mother over the phone and offered her words of comfort and reassurance. He urged her to remain courageous and assured her that the accused would be punished severely, according to the Chief Minister’s Office.

The Chief Minister assured the family that the government would extend complete support and that every possible effort would be made to save the student’s life.

He also spoke to local MLA Paritala Sunitha regarding the medical treatment and assistance being provided to the injured student.

The Chief Minister also enquired about the health condition of another student who was also injured in the attack.

TDP National Working President Nara Lokesh also condemned the incident and said, “I am deeply anguished and shocked by the brutal attack on a Class 10 student inside her school in Rapthadu, Anantapur district.”

“Such an inhuman act against a young girl in a place meant for learning and safety is utterly reprehensible,” he said.

“The safety and dignity of every girl and woman are paramount. Such acts of brutality will not be tolerated,” Lokesh added.

Meanwhile, police have launched an extensive investigation into the incident and are yet to determine whether the accused man was known to the girl before the attack. Investigators are examining multiple aspects of the case as efforts continue to identify and apprehend the attacker.

In a horrific incident that has shocked people in the country, a six-year-old student was allegedly brutally assaulted by a Class 3 student at a government school in Haryana’s Panchkula, officials said on Saturday.

The incident, that was captured on CCTVs present in the classroom where the deadly assault took place and went viral later, has raised serious concerns over the school’s security arrangements.

The little girl’s family has questioned how the alleged assault on her went unnoticed despite the presence of CCTV cameras in the classroom that were monitored from the principal’s office.

The family has alleged that the accused student lured the girl to the first floor of the school by telling her that her father had called her. It was there that the girl was allegedly attacked and left severely injured and unconscious.

In a disturbing account of the incident, the family claimed that the same eight-year-old student accused of assaulting the girl later led them to the spot where she was lying unconscious inside the school premises.

The girl’s uncle, Faisal, said that when the family reached the school and began searching for her, it was the accused boy who eventually took them to the place where she was lying.

“She went to school in the morning as usual. There were no issues or fights. When school got over, our hired auto driver went to pick her up, but she was not there. The school staff told him that the girl was missing. He returned home and informed my brother, who immediately went back to the school.

“When my brother reached there, he could not find her nearby. The boy who assaulted her told my brother that she was upstairs and lying there. When my brother went upstairs and saw her, he fainted. There was blood everywhere in the room,” Faisal told media.

Describing the severity of the alleged assault, he said the injuries inflicted on the girl were extremely disturbing and reflected the brutality of the attack.

“He has beaten her so mercilessly, not even an animal is treated with such cruelty,” he said.

Faisal also questioned the school’s arrangements for monitoring students, alleging that inadequate staff deployment and the absence of the principal during the relevant period may have contributed to the incident.

“According to the teachers, some staff members had been assigned government duty elsewhere. As a result, two to three classes had been combined under one teacher. The principal’s duty hours ended at 3 p.m., and the incident took place between 3 p.m. and 3:15 p.m. The CCTV cameras installed in the principal’s room provide a view of who is moving where and how,” he said.

“However, nobody was present in that room because the principal had already left. Had someone been sitting in the office and noticed the boy taking the girl upstairs, perhaps this incident would not have happened,” the victim’s uncle added.

The family further alleged that the girl was initially hit with a stone before being attacked with a flower pot and a brick.

According to the family’s account, the girl was eventually found lying unconscious, with blood spread across the room.

The family has also raised concerns over the functioning of the CCTV cameras, particularly those installed in the principal’s office, and questioned whether adequate monitoring arrangements were in place during school hours.

They have sought accountability from the school management over the security lapses and the assault.

With Diwali approaching, some Delhi traders have expressed concern over the proposed rally at Ramlila Maidan, with the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) on Saturday launching a massive poster campaign urging that business activities in major markets should not be disrupted during the peak festive season and urging the INDIA Bloc to cancel its ‘Chalo Delhi’ rally.

The CTI, an apex body representing traders and entrepreneurs in Delhi, appealed to Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, saying that traders’ businesses also run on mutual trust, love and affection with their customers.

“You often say that you run shops of love in the market of hatred. Our shops also run on the basis of mutual trust, love and affection with our customers. Therefore, we humbly request you not to sacrifice our shops of love and business for a rally during the peak season of India’s biggest festival, Diwali,” the CTI said.

CTI has announced that starting on Saturday, these posters will be put up in 20 major wholesale markets within a 5-km radius of Ramlila Maidan.

CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal said the poster campaign was intended to highlight the concerns of traders whose businesses could be affected by traffic restrictions and congestion around the rally venue.

“You talked about opening ‘shops of love’ during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, but in Delhi, our 300-year-old shops of love are being closed because of the rally,” Goyal said.

He cited businesses ranging from the famous parantha shops of Chandni Chowk and spice traders of Khari Baoli to bangle and bindi sellers in Sadar Bazaar, lehenga shops in Chandni Chowk and other traditional establishments.

“Each shop supports the families of 10 to 20 people,” he added.

The CTI said it would put up posters in major wholesale markets located within a five-km radius of Ramlila Maidan.

These include Chandni Chowk, Sadar Bazaar, Khari Baoli, Bhagirath Palace, Naya Bazaar, Chawri Bazaar, Kashmiri Gate, Daryaganj, Connaught Place, Karol Bagh, Nabi Karim, Paharganj, Ajmeri Gate, Lahori Gate, Janpath, Palika Bazaar, Ballimaran and Kinari Bazaar.

According to the traders’ body, a large gathering at Ramlila Maidan could lead to traffic congestion and restrictions in the surrounding markets.

Goyal said the proposed rally, scheduled just days before Dhanteras, could affect festive business activities.

He expressed concern that the arrival of a large number of people and around 20,000 vehicles could result in traffic jams across central Delhi and disrupt commercial activity.

The CTI claimed that the festive business of 2 million traders and the livelihoods of 7.5 million people dependent on these markets could be affected if restrictions were imposed during the peak Diwali shopping period.