The parents of a nine-year-old girl who allegedly died by suicide at a school in Jaipur, Rajasthan, have released new CCTV footage from her classroom, claiming their daughter was repeatedly bullied by her classmates.
Their attempts to seek help did not receive the response they expected from the teacher, and the family reiterated their demand for action against all those responsible under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, news agency PTI reported.
They cited footage released by the girl’s family as evidence supporting their long-standing claim that ongoing bullying and the school’s alleged failure to intervene contributed to the child’s death.
The girl, a Class 4 student, allegedly jumped from the fourth floor of the school building on November 1 last year. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her dead upon arrival.
What surveillance camera footage shows
Nearly eight months after the incident, Rajasthan Police recently filed a chargesheet in court in the case.
According to the family, newly released CCTV footage captures the sequence of events inside the classroom shortly before the incident occurred.
They claimed that the video shows the girl entering the classroom normally, greeting her classmate and participating in a dance activity before being repeatedly bullied by other students.
The family claimed that despite clear signs of distress, the child did not receive adequate intervention or protection from teachers.
The alleged clip, which was spread on social media, shows the girl walking towards a teacher and then leaving the classroom, looking distressed.
The girl’s father and mother claimed that their daughter repeatedly asked for help, but the school failed to respond appropriately. She called for charges related to incitement to be included wherever legally justified, and demanded an impartial investigation into the circumstances that led to her daughter’s death.
The parents also claimed that the police did not investigate the case properly under the influence of the school administration and failed to determine what happened inside the classroom.
Sunyukt Abhivak Sangh state president Arvind Agrawal said the case highlighted serious concerns about accountability in schools and called for strict enforcement of child safety standards, preservation of evidence and action against those found negligent.
The organization’s official spokesman, Abhishek Jain, said that the case revealed deficiencies in child protection mechanisms in private schools.
He said anti-bullying policies, qualified counsellors, comprehensive CCTV surveillance and effective grievance redressal systems should be put in place in schools to prevent such incidents.
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides can be prevented. Some of the major helpline numbers for suicide prevention in India are 011-23389090 from Soumyatri (Delhi based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai based).
