Delhi schoolgirl’s death: Police question teachers, examine CCTV footage

Police are examining CCTV footage, questioning teachers and school staff, and probing personal reasons, including a suspected breakup, as possible factors behind the death of a 17-year-old class 12 student who was found burnt on her school premises in east Delhi’s Krishna Nagar, sources said on Sunday.

The incident occurred at Sarvodaya Kanya Vidyalaya on Saturday when a school inspection was underway. According to sources, the student was attending her seventh-period class when she sought permission from her teacher to go out to drink water.

“Teams are probing multiple angles in this case. A suspected breakup of the girl is also under scanner. Teams are questioning her classmates, family and friends,” the police source said.

According to the police, on Saturday the girl had left the classroom carrying a bottle and went to an area behind the guard room, where a water tank is also located, before pouring a flammable substance on herself and allegedly setting herself on fire.

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Police are investigating how she managed to reach the spot and carry out the act without being noticed in time by teachers or security personnel.

Police are also examining the school’s supervision arrangements and the circumstances in which the student left her classroom.

School staff members rushed to the spot after hearing her screams and found her lying face down in a severely burnt condition. They alerted the police.

A call regarding a student being burnt was received at 11.58 am, following which a team from Krishna Nagar police station rushed to the school, Shahdara Deputy Commissioner of Police R P Meena said. The girl was taken to Dr Hedgewar Hospital, where she was declared dead.

Police have seized the school’s CCTV digital video recorder (DVR) and are analysing the footage to reconstruct the sequence of events. The security guard is being questioned to establish where he was at the time of the incident. Police have also examined the attendance register.

A three-page purported suicide note recovered from her school bag is another key piece of evidence. Sources said it contained references to her family and a friend. One page reportedly carried an apology to her family, while another mentioned that a friend should not be harassed.

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Police are examining the note’s contents and probing whether the student was facing personal difficulties, including problems related to a relationship. However, police have not established the motive behind her death and are also investigating the family’s allegation that she could have been the victim of a conspiracy.

The crime team and the Forensic Science Laboratory team inspected the spot and collected evidence. Police are examining a bottle found near the body.

The student’s elder sister had dropped her at school around 7 am. When she did not return home by around 1 pm, her sister-in-law went to look for her and was informed about the incident.

The family, expressing disbelief over the possibility of a suicide, has questioned how the incident could have occurred during school hours and alleged negligence by the school staff.