Girl found dead in Delhi school: Defunct CCTV camera, suspected breakup under lens

A day after a 17-year-old girl studying in Class 12 was found dead in a burnt condition behind the guard room of a government school in East Delhi, sources in the Delhi Police said that CCTV cameras near the site of the incident are defunct and could not capture related footage.

Investigators, said sources, scanned the footage of all the CCTV cameras in the school premises but could not find any footage of the girl moving towards the guard room. On Sunday, investigators questioned the teachers and staff of the school and the girl’s father.

All possible angles in the matter are being probed, said officers, including a suspected breakup. A purported suicide note recovered from the girl’s school bag allegedly referred to a relationship with a boy and had an apology addressed to her parents for not being able to live up to their expectations.

The girl’s suicide note allegedly also stated that none of the people mentioned in it are responsible for her death, said officers. The student hailed from Bihar, and was living in Delhi with her brother and sister-in-law while her parents were out of town.

“The girl was found in a burnt condition behind the school guard room. The crime team was subsequently called to inspect the scene and collect evidence. Certain materials were recovered from the spot and from the student’s school bag,” said DCP (Shahdara) R P Meena.

The student's sister said the family received a call about the incident at 12.40 pm. "I had come to drop her at the school and she seemed normal. I don't know what happened…," she said, adding that the girl's face was severely burnt.

The girl's sister-in-law, who reached the school, said she had left home as usual and had not told the family anything that suggested she was distressed or planning to harm herself. Meanwhile, Delhi Education Minister Ashish Sood on Saturday visited the school following the incident.

He sought details from the school management and police officers, interacted with local residents and sought to know about the investigation and the evidence collected.