Parent's body demands probe in teachers' appointment at Jaipur school

Jaipur, Jul 10 (PTI) Sanyukt Abhibhavak Sangh on Friday demanded an impartial investigation into alleged irregularities in teacher appointments, qualifications and regulatory compliance at Neerja Modi School, where a nine-year-old girl, Amaira, had allegedly committed suicide last year. The organisation said that accountability must be fixed if mandatory norms were violated. A Class 4 student, Amaira, had allegedly jumped from the fourth floor of the school building on November 1 last year. She was taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors declared her dead on arrival. Her father Vijay Meena also said that the continuous emergence of facts following the death of his daughter was deeply painful and, if the school had failed to comply with mandatory norms relating to teacher appointments, qualifications, staffing and student safety, those responsible must be held accountable after a fair probe. He said his family was fighting not only for justice for Amaira but also for the safety, accountability and rights of every child studying in schools. Sanyukt Abhibhavak Sangh spokesperson Abhishek Jain Bittu on Friday cited documents placed before the Rajasthan High Court sometime back and alleged large-scale irregularities in teacher recruitment and qualifications at the school. "CBSE inspection records reflected a sharp change in teacher strength between the academic sessions 2024-25 and 2025-26 and several appointment letters and qualification records were not produced during inspection," he claimed, while referring to the report. He demanded an independent, transparent and time-bound inquiry into teacher qualifications, staffing practices, child safety mechanisms and overall regulatory compliance at the school. On the other hand, Amaira's father alleged that newly surfaced CCTV footage showed his daughter was in visible distress and that her class teacher, Punita Sharma, failed to take any action despite her condition. Meena said the police have recently filed a chargesheet in the case before a court. "The chargesheet appears to be incomplete. The offence of abetment of suicide can also be added against the class teacher. At the same time, Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act should be invoked against the school owner and principal, which, in the chargesheet, is against the teacher only," he said. Meena said that the responsibility for child safety, protection and well-being on school premises rested with the school management. He said three investigating officers had been changed in the past eight months. Meena appealed to the court to take note of deficiencies in the chargesheet, add the relevant provisions of the Juvenile Justice Act against the principal and the school owner, and ensure the arrest of the accused. PTI SDA SHS SHS