An 18-year-old Class XII student died after being found severely burnt inside a government school in east Delhi’s Shahdara, prompting a police investigation into whether the incident was suicide or involved foul play. Police said an alleged note, an empty bottle and the student’s school bag were recovered from the spot, but officers said the circumstances had not yet been established.
Police received a PCR call about a fire at the school at around 11.58am on Saturday and sent a team to the campus. The student was found behind a water tank near the guard room and was taken to hospital, where she was declared dead. A crime team collected evidence from the scene.
According to police sources cited by Times of India, investigators are examining the student’s academic records, family circumstances and a possible relationship as part of a probe into all angles. A senior police officer declined to comment on the contents of the alleged note, saying its authenticity was being examined.
The student had apparently left her classroom after a lesson, telling others that she was going to drink water. Two or three minutes later, screams were heard and she was found near the water tank. Police suspect that she may have brought a flammable substance to the school in the bottle recovered from the location, but the officer said the matter remained under investigation.
The incident has also raised questions from the student’s relatives about security and the school’s response. Her elder sister told reporters that the student appeared happy when she was dropped at school. The family said it was informed by the school around 12.40pm, while another relative reached the campus at about 1pm.
The student’s uncle alleged that the possibility of another person’s involvement should be investigated. He questioned why the school bag had not been checked and how the incident could have gone unnoticed despite CCTV cameras and staff being present. He also said the student’s parents were away in Koderma, Jharkhand, following the death of her maternal grandmother. These claims have not been independently established, and police have not confirmed foul play.
The case places attention on how schools manage access control, student movement, emergency alerts and surveillance in enclosed campuses. The available account does not establish whether existing CCTV systems captured the incident or how quickly school staff responded; those questions are expected to form part of the investigation.
Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood visited the school and said the police were investigating the incident. He said the school had submitted all relevant evidence to the police and requested time for the inquiry to proceed. Further details are expected after investigators examine the scene, the recovered material and the authenticity of the alleged note.
