From PTM Complaints to a Fourth-Floor Fall

On 1st November last year, Amaira fell to her death from her school building. Eight months later, newly released CCTV footage raises disturbing questions about bullying, institutional accountability and child safety in schools.

What happened to Amaira?

The disheartening death of Amaira witnessed major developments as the CCTV footage was released more than 8 months after the case was registered. Nine-year-old Amaira was a 4th-grade student of the Neerja Modi School. She died after jumping from the fourth floor of her school building on 1st November, 2025. She was rushed to the hospital but was declared dead.

Signals over the past months

Amaira’s parents allege that she had been facing bullying for over a year and the school authorities were repeatedly informed. She frequently returned home distressed and pleaded with them not to send her back to school.

Her mother had shared Amaira’s voice recording to her class teacher in order to alert the school about the classroom’s environment towards Amaira. In the recording, the nine-year-old sobbingly said, "I don't want to go to school... don't send me.” Her mother had spoken with the class teacher and the class coordinator several times over the past year since Amaira’s death, but the authorities had shrugged her off or ignored her requests.

Repeated complaints of teasing, bullying and verbal abuse with “sexual connotations” by her classmates went unaddressed by the school teachers. Her father states that in a parent-teacher meeting (PTM), a group of children signalled towards Amaira and another boy. She embarrassingly hid behind him. He further said, “The teacher told me this is a co-ed school and Amaira must learn to talk to all children, even the boys. I told the teacher that it is my daughter's choice if she does not want to talk to boys.”

The CCTV footage

Amaira can be seen distressed, uncomfortable, and embarrassed in the CCTV footage released this July. What she said is not known as the footage has no audio recording, though CBSE guidelines mandate it in classroom surveillance.

Amaira can be seen entering the classroom normally, talking to her classmates and dancing in a classroom activity. Later, a digital slate was brought into the classroom by some students and passed among themselves. The messages displayed on it deeply distressed her. She sought help from her teacher twice over 45 minutes, but she was unable to get the necessary support. She moved out of her classroom and reached to the fourth floor from the ground floor, but no teacher or staff member followed her or stopped her.

CBSE’s investigation

The committee visited the school on 12th November, 2025 and noted severe lapses and gross violations of the Affiliation Bye-Laws. No CCTV surveillance on movement of students, no safety nets in the open areas at upper floors, absence of a proper counselling system and anti-bullying committees were noted in the school. Specific to the case, CBSE questioned the immediate cleaning of the blood stains, which should have been kept intact. CBSE states that the school’s reputation is wholly irrelevant to the case. The fact that Amaira was happy in her schooling years earlier has no connection to the case, and the question remains that the incident could have been averted if proper measures were taken after repetitive pleas, even on the day of the incident. The records state previous complaints of bullying raised by other parents. Violations of NCPCR guidelines and NDMA’s school safety policy highlight the systemic failure of the school.

CBSE, in conclusion of its report, has withdrawn the affiliation of the classes 10th and 12th, leaving the decision regarding classes 1st to 8th to the State Government.

Investigation and legal battle

Due to several parental requests, CBSE restored the school’s affiliation to only the secondary level, that is, classes 9th and 10th, in February. The school was given 45 days to cure all deficiencies, and an inspection will be done by the Rajasthan High Court.

The chargesheet names three of the school’s management and teaching staff. The accused have been booked under Section 106 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for causing death by negligence and Section 238 for causing the disappearance of evidence of an offence or giving false information to screen an offender.

The parents question the mere charges of negligence and not relating to abetment or child cruelty. They demand strict action against the ones responsible for their child’s death.

Bullying and its legality in India

Bullying can affect the victim in several ways; it damages their self-esteem, develops anxiety and social phobias in them, pushes them to resort to self-isolation and self-harm. It is a very sensitive issue as kids experience cruelty and marginalisation, which crushes their confidence and scares them for life.

In India, there are no legal policies for handling bullying in schools. The law works only on the consequences of bullying, such as harassment, injury or suicide.

However, the Ministry of Human Resources Development directed CBSE schools to create anti-ragging committees and take serious actions against students committing such acts. They are advised to adopt notice boards to warn students or rusticate the bullies in extreme cases. Raghavan Committee suggested that school teachers and principals must be held accountable for bullying within school premises.

The case has no arrests yet, and Amaira’s family challenges the weaker charges in the chargesheet. This unfortunate death is a result of systemic failure and robs a parent of their beloved child.

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