She walked to her teacher again and again: What the CCTV shows before Jaipur schoolgirl's death

Nearly eight months after the death of a nine-year-old girl at Jaipur's Neerja Modi School, newly released classroom CCTV footage has brought the case back into focus. Shared by the child's family, the video is being cited as fresh evidence to support their long-standing allegation that the Class 4 student was repeatedly bullied and that her attempts to seek help inside the classroom went unanswered in the hour before her death.

The footage, released after Rajasthan Police filed a chargesheet in the case, has prompted the family to renew its demand for action against those they believe were responsible. They have also sought a wider investigation into whether the school's response on the day of the incident was adequate and whether provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and other applicable laws should be invoked.

According to the family, the CCTV footage offers a minute-by-minute account of what unfolded inside the classroom before the tragedy on November 1 last year, when Amaira allegedly jumped from the fourth floor of the school building. She was rushed to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her dead.

What does the new CCTV footage allegedly show?

The video begins with what appears to be a normal school day.

Amaira is seen walking into her classroom, greeting one of her classmates and joining a dance activity along with the other children. For the first few minutes, everything appears routine.

According to her parents, the atmosphere changes shortly afterwards.

The footage allegedly shows a few students handling a digital writing slate. The family claims the slate was repeatedly shown to Amaira. While it is not known what was displayed on the device, her parents say her behaviour changed almost immediately after seeing it. They claim she appeared uncomfortable, embarrassed and gradually withdrew from classroom activities, no longer looking as relaxed as she had just moments earlier.

From that point onwards, the CCTV reportedly captures a series of interactions that form the centre of the family's allegations.

Over the next hour, Amaira can be seen leaving her seat several times to approach her class teacher. Each time, she appears to be trying to explain something before returning to her desk. According to her parents, these repeated visits show that she was seeking help after allegedly being bullied by classmates.

The family further claims that during several of these conversations, another student would also walk up to the teacher and begin speaking. They believe the teacher's attention repeatedly shifted away from Amaira before she could fully explain what had happened.

As a result, Amaira is seen walking back to her seat without any visible resolution, only to get up again a few minutes later and make another attempt.

The sequence suggests a child desperately trying to be heard.

As the footage progresses, Amaira's body language appears to change noticeably.

She is seen standing before the teacher with folded hands, as though pleading to explain herself. Later, she covers her mouth before placing her hands over her head. Her parents say these gestures reflect growing anxiety, fear and emotional distress as she struggled to make herself heard.

The family also alleges that one interaction with the teacher appeared particularly upsetting. According to them, the teacher's response seemed stern, after which Amaira looked visibly shaken. Rather than calming down after each conversation, they say she appeared increasingly withdrawn and emotionally overwhelmed.

The CCTV then captures what the family describes as Amaira's final attempt to seek help.

She walks up to the teacher once again and appears to say a few words before quietly leaving the classroom. The footage does not indicate that any teacher inside the classroom or in the corridor noticed the child leaving alone or rushing upstairs.

A short while later, Amaira allegedly jumped from the fourth floor of the school building.

Amaira's father, Vijay Meena, and mother, Shivani, say the CCTV footage reinforces what they have maintained since their daughter's death, that she was subjected to repeated bullying and did not receive timely intervention despite approaching her teacher several times.

The couple has reiterated its demand for action against everyone found responsible under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act. They have also sought the inclusion of abetment-related provisions wherever legally applicable and called for an impartial investigation into the circumstances leading to the child's death.

The parents further alleged that the initial police investigation did not adequately examine what happened inside the classroom. They claimed the investigation failed to establish the sequence of events leading up to the incident and accused investigators of not thoroughly examining the role of the school management.

With PTI inputs