Jaipur schoolgirl suicide: Parents allege bullying, teachers' negligence
Parents allege their 9-year-old daughter, who died by suicide in a Rajasthan school, was bullied and abused while teachers ignored repeated complaints
The nine-year-old girl who ended her life by suicide by jumping off from the fourth floor of her school building in Jaipur was allegedly subjected to bullying, and the school administration ignored the repeated complaints by her parents in this regard. The girl ended her life by suicide on November 1.
‘I don't want to go to school’
A year ago, the mother of the deceased had recorded her voice where she was heard crying and saying, "I don't want to go to school... don't send me,” and sent the recording to her class teacher, hoping that it would prompt the school to address the issue that was plaguing her daughter.
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She alleged that despite repeatedly raising the issue with her daughter’s class teacher and class coordinator, the school authorities paid scant attention to the issue.
‘School authorities ignored complaints’
"I would speak to the class teacher, I spoke to the class coordinator not once, but several times over the last year, but they would either shrug me off or ignore me," she alleged as quoted by NDTV.
Things took a tragic turn after a year, as her daughter ended her life by jumping off from the fourth floor of her school building. The child died on the spot, following which her parents alleged that the repeated complaints of bullying, teasing, and verbal abuse with "sexual connotations" were ignored by the school authorities.
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The father of the deceased said that during a parent-teacher meeting signalled towards his daughter and another boy, following which she hid behind him. He further alleged that after he raised the issue in the meeting, the teacher told him that it was a coed school and his daughter must learn to talk to all children, including the boys.
“I told the teacher that 'it is my daughter's choice if she does not want to talk to boys,” said the father of the deceased as quoted by NDTV.
‘No audio in school CCTV’
The report further stated that CCTV footage of the classroom, examined by the police, showed the child walking up to her twice, minutes before she climbed the railing and jumped to her death. However, what she told her teacher could not be known, as despite CBSE guidelines, which make it mandatory to keep audio recording in classroom surveillance, the footage had no sound.
The family members of the child have also questioned how the school, with over 5,000 children and a six-floor building, was allowed to construct extra floors with no grills or safety nets.
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“It's the most basic thing. How can you have open floors with so many children around? How come there is no audio available in the CCTV that should be there as per CBSE guidelines? In fact, 15 days of CCTV footage should be available. It's a prestigious school in Jaipur. They charge substantial fees, but where is the accountability?" said the child’s uncle.
What police said
"We are taking everything on record and verifying. The parents were in a state of shock and unable to speak, but now, whatever their concerns, we will take them on record and verify and investigate," said Jaipur's Deputy Commissioner of Police, Rajarshi Raj Verm, as quoted by NDTV.
District Education Officer (Primary) Ramniwas Sharma said the Education Department will record the parents’ statement in a couple of days in the presence of the police. The school authorities are yet to comment on the matter.