A 16-year-old Class 11 student allegedly died by suicide after jumping from the third-floor terrace of her school building in Delhi NCR's Faridabad on Tuesday, police said. While her family alleged that she took the step after being made to stand in the sun for several hours as punishment, the school has denied the allegation.
According to police, the incident took place around 1.30pm at Navodaya Vidya Niketan Senior Secondary School on Dabua-Gazipur Road, after classes had ended. The girl went to the third-floor terrace as students were leaving the school and jumped.
School staff rushed her to Badshah Khan Civil Hospital, where she was declared dead from injuries sustained in the fall, police said.
Deep Dive
What punishment did the 16-year-old girl allegedly face before her death?
Why did the school deny the allegations made by the victim's family?
How is the police investigating the circumstances surrounding the girl's death?
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“Punished by a teacher”
Yashpal Yadav, public relations officer of Faridabad police, said the father has alleged that the 16-year-old was “punished by a teacher and made to stand in the sun for four hours after which she took the extreme step”.
The allegations are being verified and a case will be registered after the father submits a formal complaint, he said. “Police are already quizzing the school authorities and scanning CCTV camera footage for clues looking at the sensitivity of the case.”
{{/usCountry}}The allegations are being verified and a case will be registered after the father submits a formal complaint, he said. “Police are already quizzing the school authorities and scanning CCTV camera footage for clues looking at the sensitivity of the case.”
{{/usCountry}}However, the principal of the school, RK Sharma, has denied the allegations.
“She had gone to the bathroom accompanied by a female non-teaching staff member. However, after leaving the bathroom, she went to the terrace and jumped to the ground all of a sudden. We don’t know why she took such a step,” he said.
She was first taken to a private hospital near the school for treatment, but doctors there asked them to take her to the civil hospital as it was a police case. “At the civil hospital, she was declared dead,” he said, adding that the school administration is cooperating with the police investigation.
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Victim's father reaches out to her classmates
Speaking to HT, the minor girl’s father said he had reached out to his daughter’s classmates for information. They told him that his daughter had been punished earlier in the day.
“One of the female teachers in the school had punished her by making her stand in the sun for at least four hours because some students had created some ruckus in class,” he alleged.
He said that the school administration should have called him instead of giving a harsh punishment.
“They alerted me almost after an hour’s delay,” he added.
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This comes after a Class 4 student allegedly died by suicide at a private school in Jaipur, Rajasthan, in November last year. Her family had alleged that she was being bullied and no action was taken by teachers and the school administration even after it was flagged.
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