Parents of Jaipur Class 4 Student Release Classroom CCTV Footage, Allege Fatal Bullying

New CCTV footage of a 9-year-old girl who died by suicide last year at a private school in the Rajasthan capital Jaipur was released by her parents. The family says the footage is important evidence that their Class 4 daughter was being bullied by other children in her class for extended periods of time before allegedly jumping to death from the school’s fourth floor.

This is an apparent breakthrough after the November incident and a police chargesheet was filed in court recently. The family reiterated its demands for accountability regarding the school’s failure to intervene, even after the young girl was clearly asking for assistance. They are demanding that legal abetment charges be included under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

The family mentioned that the newly released clip shows what was going on in the classroom moments before the tragedy. At first, the video shows the young girl going into the school, greeting a classmate and participating in a dancing session, but then a few of the other students target her. The clip allegedly depicts the girl approaching a teacher and then leaving the classroom in distress, for which no explanation is provided.

The parents have strongly condemned the initial investigation, saying it had been handled improperly, influenced by the management of the school. They believe that the authorities didn’t adequately set up the hostile environment within the classroom.

Supporting the family’s demand for accountability, Arvind Agrawal, state president of Sanyukt Abhibhavak Sangh, demanded stricter implementation of child safety measures and harsh measures against careless administration of the state.

Furthermore, Abhishek Jain, the organisation’s state spokesperson also added that the case has revealed flaws in private schools’ child protection systems.