The investigation into the death of an 18-year-old student inside a government school in Shahdara has been complicated by the failure of the only CCTV camera installed near the spot, Delhi Police said. An inquest has been initiated and no case had been registered at the time of the report.
Police received a PCR call about a fire at the school on Saturday and reached the premises, where the student was found in a severely burnt condition. A matchbox and a bottle were recovered from the location. A police source said the bottle had a smell of petrol and had been sent to the Forensic Science Laboratory for examination.
A senior police officer confirmed that the CCTV camera covering the area was not working. The officer also said it was not yet clear how much of the location the camera covered because it was positioned towards the roadside. It was the only camera installed at that spot, while cameras in other areas near the school were reported to be functioning.
Police also recovered a note purportedly written by the student. According to the report, it referred to a boy and said she had been unable to meet her parents’ expectations. The note reportedly asked that no one be held responsible and that the boy should not be harassed. Police said the boy had not yet been identified.
The circumstances have raised questions for the student’s family about what happened inside the school and when the family was informed. The girl’s elder sister told reporters that she and the student’s niece had dropped her at school and that she appeared happy when she entered the premises.
The student’s uncle questioned why her school bag had not been checked and alleged that the incident should not have gone unnoticed given the presence of staff and CCTV cameras. He also raised the possibility that another person could have been involved and said the family had received information late. These allegations have not been established by investigators.
The police investigation will now depend on the forensic examination of the recovered bottle, the purported note, statements from school staff and students, and the functioning and coverage of surveillance cameras around the premises. The inquest will determine the next procedural steps after investigators examine the available evidence.
