Andhra Pradesh High Court Orders Preservation Of Raptadu Chainsaw Attack Accused's Amputated Leg

The Andhra Pradesh High Court has asked Anantapur Government General Hospital to preserve the amputated right leg of Hemanth alias Dummu. The 21-year-old is the accused in the Raptadu chainsaw attack on a Class 10 schoolgirl on October 31.

A bench of Chief Justice Lisa Gill and Justice Challa Gunaranjan issued the order on Tuesday and directed hospital superintendent Dr D Malleswari and the police to take the necessary steps to preserve the limb. The court will hear the case again on December 30.

The order followed the amputation of Hemanth’s leg at Anantapur district hospital. The case also involves the government’s response, the petitioner’s request for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe and the accused’s medical condition.

Petition And Hearing

Mangalagiri-based advocate Gunda Gopikrishna filed the petition on November 2. The plea sought a CBI probe into the police firing at Hemanth alias Dummu.

The bench asked the government to file counter affidavits on the application. It then adjourned the case to December 30.

The court also rejected an application by the petitioner to add education department officers. The bench questioned whether the relief sought in the petition had any link with the education department.

Attack And Arrest

The case stems from the alleged chainsaw attack on a Class 10 schoolgirl in Raptadu on October 31. She survived and is being treated at Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru.

Police picked up Hemanth in the district’s Atmakur forest on November 1, a day after the alleged attack. That arrest brought him into custody before the later court challenge to the police firing.

According to media reports, Hemanth tried to run while being taken to reconstruct the crime scene and hurled stones at police personnel, injuring them. Police then opened fire at the suspect and he sustained injuries to his leg.

Medical Treatment Details

Doctors amputated Hemanth’s right leg on November 3. The procedure was done at Anantapur’s district hospital after gangrene set in from damaged blood vessels.

During Tuesday’s hearing, special government pleader S Pranathi said the accused was in judicial custody and was undergoing treatment at the hospital. She said the amputated limb would undergo standard forensic testing and the relevant assessment would be shared with the bench.

Doctors also indicated that Hemanth was suffering from severe drug withdrawal symptoms. Dr D Malleswari said he suffered a sudden drop in pulse rate and fell from his bed earlier this week, which required emergency medical intervention.

Dr Malleswari told the court that people dependent on narcotic substances may face serious physical and psychological reactions when they suddenly stop consuming them. “Such withdrawal symptoms can include fluctuations in blood pressure, an unusually rapid or slow heartbeat, mental instability, insomnia, anxiety and digestive disorders,” she said.