The parents of nine-year-old Amaira, the Jaipur student who died after falling from the fourth floor of her school building on November 1, 2025, following alleged bullying by classmates, have said their daughter had an intense fear of heights and would never have taken such a drastic step unless she had been under overwhelming emotional distress.
A day after making public CCTV footage showing the events leading up to the incident, the family accused the school authorities, particularly the teachers, of repeatedly ignoring Amaira's cries for help and failing to respond to clear signs of distress. They alleged that the lack of intervention left her feeling that escaping the humiliation was easier than continuing to endure it.
Speaking to India Today TV, Amaira's mother, Shivani Dev, said the incident reflected the severe emotional trauma her daughter experienced inside the classroom on the day of her death.
"Amaira never wanted to jump because the only thing she was truly afraid of was height. She was scared of even standing on a two-foot bench in our society. Imagine the level of stress and desperation she must have been facing to jump from the fourth floor," she said.
Shivani alleged that the bullying escalated beyond one student, with several classmates joining in while the class teacher failed to intervene.
'AMAIRA'S PLEAS WERE IGNORED'
According to Shivani, Amaira repeatedly approached the teacher seeking help, but instead of addressing her concerns, the teacher allegedly sided with the other students and reprimanded her.
"This can happen when a group targets one child. It began with one boy, but soon four or five others joined in. Amaira kept trying to explain herself while the others laughed at her. The teacher should have recognised those signs of distress instead of ignoring them," she said.
The parents said the CCTV footage released by them shows Amaira approaching her class teacher multiple times over several minutes before her emotional state visibly worsened.
'AMAIRA'S BODY LANGUAGE REFLECTED DISTRESS'
According to the family, Amaira's body language showed fear, anxiety and helplessness as she repeatedly tried to explain her side of the incident, while other students gathered around the teacher and continued discussing her.
Shivani claimed her daughter displayed several warning signs of emotional distress, but no one responded. She alleged that Amaira eventually ran out of the classroom in panic, yet no teacher followed her or attempted to stop her before she reached the fourth floor.
Recalling the CCTV footage she later watched, Shivani said she struggled to recognise her daughter.
"I truly felt that was not my Amaira. It was as though something had taken over her. She was in complete panic and haste, and believed it was better to die than continue facing that situation," she alleged.
FAMILY STILL SEEKING CLARITY
Amaira's father, Vijay Meena, said the family continues to search for answers about what exactly happened inside the classroom before the incident.
He questioned the explanation allegedly provided by the class teacher, saying it did not correspond with Amaira's visibly distressed reaction captured on CCTV.
"We asked the teacher what Amaira had been trying to tell her for nearly one-and-a-half hours. The explanation we received does not account for the shock Amaira appeared to be in. Everything is visible in the CCTV footage, yet no one is willing to explain what actually happened," Vijay said.
He added that the family still does not know whether Amaira intended to jump or was simply trying to escape the situation.
"We don't know whether she wanted to fall from the second floor, whether she only intended to injure herself, or whether she had developed tunnel vision where escaping what she was going through became her only objective," he said.
Shivani also urged parents to take complaints of bullying seriously instead of dismissing them.
She appealed to parents to objectively assess allegations involving their own children, understand the facts, counsel them appropriately and engage in meaningful conversations with the affected child's family to help prevent similar incidents in the future.
PARENTS ALLEGE POLICE INACTION
The family has also accused the police of inaction and demanded that stricter provisions of the Juvenile Justice (JJ) Act be invoked against the school's principal and chairman, in addition to the class teacher.
Police have already named the school owner, principal and class teacher in the chargesheet under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita related to alleged criminal negligence.
The case also drew scrutiny from the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE), whose inspection committee identified significant shortcomings in the school's student safety measures, supervision and anti-bullying mechanisms.
Among the lapses highlighted were inadequate CCTV monitoring, the absence of a mandatory safety committee, failure to secure railings on the upper floors and allegations that repeated complaints of bullying over several months were not properly addressed.
Meanwhile, Amaira's parents continue to demand accountability from the school administration and investigating agencies while seeking stronger legal action against those they believe failed to protect their daughter.
