‘Bullied, approached teacher before suicide’: CBSE flags major child-protection failures in Jaipur schoolgirl case

In an inquiry into the death of a 9-year-old student at Neerja Modi School in Jaipur, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) said it found serious lapses in safety, child protection and school response.

The CBSE report said the Class 4 student, who died after jumping from the fourth floor, had faced sustained bullying, including verbal abuse with sexual references.

It also revealed that despite approaching her teacher twice on the day of the incident, the schoolgirl was never referred to the counsellor.

Here's what the CBSE inquiry revealed:

According to a Times of India (TOI) report, citing the CBSE inquiry report, 9-year-old Amaiyra's action occurred in an environment of “unbearable trauma and mental harassment,” exacerbated by the school's failure to respond to repeated red flags.

The committee reportedly stated that when Amaira arrived at the school on the day of the fatal incident, she appeared happy, cheerful, and carefree. In CCTV footage captured shortly before 11:00 AM on November 1, the young girl was seen dancing, chatting with classmates, laughing, and eating chocolates.

CBSE said that it was “proof” to confirm that she exhibited no signs of distress at the beginning of the day, and it was what followed during the day that marked a sudden and troubling shift.

According to the reports, Amaira became visibly upset in the classroom after 11 AM. CBSE said that “something unusual happened” in the class because she appeared “extremely disturbed” in the CCTV footage from after 11 AM.

The report also mentions a CCTV video showing a heated exchange among students, which, according to parents and apparently from the clip, may have involved the use of “bad words and derogatory remarks”.

The centre of Amaira's cause of trigger is reportedly a digital slate on which a group of boys wrote or drew something that embarrassed and distressed her.

Amaira seemed “puzzled and surprised” by what transpired, said the report.

The CBSE committee acknowledged that Amaira faced a pattern of bullying, the concern over which her parents raised multiple times over several months.

Despite multiple complaints, the school failed to establish a functional grievance redressal system or an anti-bullying committee, both of which are mandatory under CBSE and National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) guidelines.

The Neerja Modi School, the TOI report citing CBSE said, not only failed to maintain an emotionally safe classroom environment, but also ignored clear symptoms of trauma. The report also cited at least six bullying incidents between May and October this year.

The CBSE committee found widespread safety and monitoring failures across the campus; students were seen moving between floors sans supervision. The report also said that there was no dedicated staff monitoring the live feed from operational CCTV cameras.

One of the most serious findings of the CBSE report, according to TOI, was that Amaira reached the fourth floor “without being noticed,” showing a complete lack of supervision.

The school also washed the spot where she fell — CBSE found that this had compromised the forensic clarity of the area.

Jaipur school gets show-cause notice

The CBSE report said these shortcomings amount to violations of Supreme Court guidelines on child safety and CBSE's affiliation bylaws.

In its concluding remarks, the board said: “The school has grossly violated safety norms where an innocent child lost her life after facing unbearable trauma and mental harassment. The school management and authorities failed to act or take remedial measures in compliance with statutory provisions.”

Following the committee report, the CBSE on Thursday issued a show-cause notice to the principal and management of the school.

Speaking to TOI, Neerja Modi School principal Indu Dubey said, “We have received the letter this evening and we are studying it. The CBSE has given the school 30 days to respond to the notice.”

If the reply is found unsatisfactory, the board may initiate stringent punitive action, including withdrawal of the school's affiliation.