9-year-old kid dies jumping off 4th floor in school building, parents allege she was 'bullied'

In an incident that is “beyond imagination”, a 9-year-old girl in Rajasthan jumped off the 4th floor of the school building and died on November 1. The girl's name is Amayra, and the CCTV footage captures the girl climbing onto the 4th-floor railing and jumping off. The parents of the child allege that she was bullied repeatedly for over a period of time, with verbal abuse including sexual connotations. The girl fell from a height of 48 feet, and she was rushed to the nearby hospital, but was declared dead on arrival.

A five-member committee has been formed by the Rajasthan education department and is set to submit the report next week. They are probing the incident and also investigating if there was pressure at home or if she was suffering from depression. “We have spoken to her teachers, classmates, and other school staff. Prima facie, she was not willing to visit the school on the day of the incident. However, the fact will be ascertained after we speak to her parents," said Jaipur district education officer Ramniwas Sharma.

Parents allege repeated bullying

Amayra’s mother, Shivani, said that instances of bullying had increased last year, and it continued till this year as the same group of children were part of her section. “I had complained once or twice last year, too. I even told the principal, Indu ma’am, about what was happening to Amayra inside the classroom,” said Shivani to India Today. The parents also mentioned one episode when a boy apologised to her following the intervention from the family.

Her father alleges that the teacher blamed Amayara for being ‘reserved’ with boys. He mentions on one occasion, during a parents' teacher meeting, he noticed a boy signalling at her. “At one of the parent-teacher meetings, I saw a boy signalling to her. I spoke with her class teacher and asked why that boy was making signals. The teacher replied that Amayra should understand this is a co-ed school.”

According to Amayara's uncle, in the CCTV footage shown by the police, it can be seen that Amayara approached teachers at least twice, hours before the tragedy happened, complaining that the boys were using foul words to her. Her classmates also confirmed the incident.

“The teacher later admitted that Amayra came to her twice - once saying ‘students are using bad words’ and another time saying ‘they’re disturbing me in my studies.’ The teacher only told her, ‘Go sit down.’ That’s not how you address a child’s pain,” said her uncle. He said that everything will be clear if they question the teacher and 20 children in the classroom

According to her mother, Amarya was a cheerful and bright kid who excelled all around. She was highly ambitious and had huge dreams. There are CBSE guidelines to employ protective gear in the railing and staircase if a school has multiple storeys. There are also guidelines to employ sound recording devices along with CCTV in classrooms. The authorities of Neerja Modi School are yet to make an official statement, even after almost a week of the incident. The parents have lodged an FIR against the school administration under Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Mansarovar police station. Meanwhile, the Joint Parents’ Association have accused the school of wiping off the blood stain and destroying evidence.