‘Bullied’, ‘no help from teachers’: Shocking CCTV clip in Class 4 Jaipur student's alleged suicide

PArents of a nine-year-old fille who allegedly died by felo-de-se at a school day in Rajasthan's Jaipur feature reportedly released young CCTV footage from her classroom, alleging that their daughter was repeatedly bullied by her classmates.Saying their attempts to seek help did not receive the response they had expected from the teacher, the family reiterated its demand for action against all those responsible under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, PTI news agency reported.The footage, released by the girl's family, has been cited by them as evidence supporting their long-standing claim that sustained 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 on arrival.What the CCTV footage showsNearly eight months after the incident, Rajasthan Police recently filed a chargesheet before a court in the case.According to the family, the newly released CCTV footage captures the sequence of events inside the classroom shortly before the incident. They claimed the video shows the girl entering the classroom normally, greeting a classmate and participating in a dance activity before allegedly being subjected to repeated bullying by other students.The family alleged that despite visible signs of distress, the child did not receive adequate intervention or protection from teachers.The purported footage that went viral on social media shows the girl walking to a teacher and then exiting the classroom, visibly in distress. The girl's father and mother alleged that their daughter had repeatedly sought help, but the school failed to respond appropriately. She called for the inclusion of abetment-related charges wherever legally warranted and demanded an impartial investigation into the circumstances leading to her daughter's death.The parents also alleged that police did not investigate the case properly under the influence of the school management and failed to establish what had happened inside the classroom.Sanyukt Abhibhavak Sangh state president Arvind Agrawal said the case highlighted serious concerns over accountability in schools and called for strict enforcement of child safety norms, preservation of evidence and action against those found negligent.The organisation's state spokesperson, Abhishek Jain, said the case has exposed shortcomings in child protection mechanisms in private schools.He said anti-bullying policies, qualified counsellors, comprehensive CCTV surveillance and effective grievance redressal systems should be in place in schools to prevent such incidents.Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-23389090 from Sumaitri (Delhi-based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based).