A nine-year-old girl was driven to kill herself: How a posh school in Jaipur failed her?

A disturbing CCTV footage showing the moments that led to the tragic death of a nine-year-old girl, Amaira Meena, in Jaipur’s Neerja Modi School, has reignited the debate around bullying and children’s safety in schools. About eight months ago, on November 1, 2025, Amaira, studying in the 4th standard in Neerja Modi School, Jaipur, died after jumping off the building of her school. A CCTV video of the events that transpired before the tragic death of Amaira has been released by her family. The video shows Amaira’s activities right from the time she enters her classroom till her horrifying jump from the fourth floor of her school building. The visuals show her being bullied and mocked by her classmates, and the two teachers in the classroom failing to intervene. She approached the teacher multiple times before walking out of the class and taking the drastic step. Amaira stood up to bullying and pleaded for help In the visuals from inside her classroom, Amair is seen happily greeting and chatting with a classmate. She later attended a dance class in which she participated with full enthusiasm. However, some time later, after she returns to her classroom, the situation begins to change inside the classroom. One of her classmates shows her something written on a digital slate, and her expression changes after seeing it. She holds her head with her hands and looks stressed. Soon, several other classmates see the digital slate and start mocking her. At this point, Amaira is seen sitting quietly in her seat, as her classmates mock and laugh at her. On Nov 1, 2025, Amaira, a Class 4 student, died by suicide after jumping from the fourth floor of the Neerja Modi School in Jaipur.She had been bullied for 18 months, with classmates targeting her using "bad words," many of which carried sexual undertones. However, her class… pic.twitter.com/iiS4J6UFwm— THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) July 9, 2026 Lack of sensitivity and accountability on the part of the teacher Later, she rises from her seat and approaches the teacher in the classroom, apparently explaining the entire situation to her and requesting her intervention. The teacher listens to her but doesn’t seem to do anything. Amaira then returns to her seat and sits quietly. Subsequently, a few other students approached the teacher and spoke to her, probably about the same thing that Amaira was stressed about. The teacher then utters something to Amaira, whose body language looks defensive and stressed. She can be seen trying to explain something to the teacher. From what appears in the visuals, the teacher speaks to Amaira in a harsh manner, pointing a finger towards her, after which Amaira meekly nods and goes back to her desk. Some time later, the teacher can be seen saying something to the students in the class, which triggers a reaction of shock from Amaira. She can be seen holding her head with a hand, opening her eyes and mouth wide, as if something spoken either by the teacher or any students deeply disturbed her. Later on, there seems to be an altercation taking place between Amaira and a classmate. In the moments preceding her departure from the classroom, Amaira rose from her seat, went to the teacher, and an exchange took place between the two, prompting Amaira to rush out of the classroom. Amaira’s unanswered calls for help The CCTV visuals show Amaira running through the corridors in the giant school building uninterrupted. She climbs up the stairs, panting and breathing heavily, and no one seems to notice why a child is running around the building. On her way up to the fourth floor of the building, she passed by a couple of floor attendants and school teachers, but no one stopped and asked her why she was not inside her classroom and where she was heading. Amaira then reaches the staircase on the fourth floor of the school building, climbs on the railing, and jumps to her death. A nine-year-old child faced bullying in her classroom, was shown apathy by her teacher, ran around in her school building, panicked and distressed, and finally ended her life in a posh school in the capital city of Rajasthan, without anyone as much as noticing. CCTV video supporting Amaira’s claims of bullying While the incident has shattered her parents as well as the entire country, it has also exposed the poor implementation of child safety and anti-bullying measures even in elite schools in the country. The CCTV footage supports her parents’ allegations that Amaira faced bullying in the school. Amaira’s parents do not see their child’s death as a plain case of negligence. They have raised several concerns, including bullying, lack of accountability on the part of the school authorities, and infrastructural flaws in the school. Full Interview | #NDTVExclusive: "Teachers Left Her Dead On Stretcher, Fled": Parents Of Bullied Jaipur Student, 9-Year-Old Amaira, Speak To NDTV's @VedikaS pic.twitter.com/G3ftku9QIC— NDTV (@ndtv) July 10, 2026 Speaking to the media, her parents said that they faced a very hard time during the eight months following the death of their child. They said that the school authorities shunned their responsibility, and the investigation officer filed a closure report in the case, claiming that there was no ‘criminal angle’ in the case. The parents ran from pillar to post demanding a fair investigation into Amaira’s death and justice for her. Eventually, a writ petition filed before the Rajasthan High Court by Amaira’s parents led to the reopening of the investigation, the changing of three investigating officers and finally the filing of the chargesheet in the case. The teacher and the school principal have been named as accused in the case. While the law will take its course, Amaira’s parents, as well as the entire nation, have been left with many unanswered questions after the tragic incident. Even eight months after Amaira’s death, her parents do not know what transpired inside the classroom that prompted Amaira to take the extreme step. What are the measures in place to prevent bullying? The incident has raised questions regarding the safety of children in school premises and the accountability of school authorities. The issue of children’s safety in schools has been addressed both nationally and globally. There are different sets of guidelines issued by the Ministry of Education, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights and the CBSE to ensure the safety and well-being of children within school premises. UNESCO has also laid down a framework for preventing bullying and violence in schools. National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) guidelines (2023-24) for preventing bullying and cyberbullying of children in schools. The guidelines lay down clear procedures for reporting, documentation, inquiry, and follow-up and provide for setting up an Anti-Bullying Committee (comprising the head of school, teachers, counsellor, parents, students). They emphasise measures like counselling, restorative approaches, proportional disciplinary measures, and sensitisation programmes for students, staff, and parents for preventing and addressing cases of bullying. In addition to that, there is a 2021 manual on the Safety and Security of Children in Schools prepared by the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR). The manual broader norms on physical, emotional, and digital safety of children and covers infrastructure safety, staff conduct, transportation, and procedures to prevent abuse and neglect. The manual mandates risk assessment of school premises and transport, codes of conduct for staff and volunteers, lays down mechanisms for reporting abuse, harassment, or safety violations and integration of safety drills and child protection education into school routines. The Ministry of Education’s Department of School Education & Literacy (MoE) has also issued “Guidelines on School Safety and Security”, focusing on comprehensive safety planning in schools. These guidelines stress institutional responsibilities, safety audits, and compliance with child protection norms. A CBSE circular titled “Prevention of Bullying and Ragging in Schools (2015) mandates anti-bullying policies and committees, with graded disciplinary responses. UNESCO describes school bullying as a violation of children’s rights to education, health and well‑being, and leads the main global normative and monitoring initiatives. Its guidelines to prevent bullying and violence in schools centre on evidence-based policy guidance to states, teacher support tools, and regular global status reporting on school violence and bullying. While sufficient measures are in place in terms of national and international guidelines and frameworks to prevent and address bullying and ensure children’s safety within the school premises, the challenge remains regarding their implementation by schools. For incidents like Amaira’s death to stop, exemplary action must be taken against defaulting schools, which neglect children’s safety and treat education merely as a profit-making business.