- 9 hours ago
In an exclusive interview with India Today TV, the parents of nine-year-old Amaira, who died after jumping from the fourth floor of her school building, said she was scared of height and took the extreme step because of bullying.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00Let's cut across now to the parents of the girl herself, Shivani Dev and Vijay Meena.
00:30Let's talk about the whole story of the girl.
00:33I saw the full footage without the voiceover, which you have now released.
00:39It's been 8 months.
00:42When are you going to pursue this case?
00:44First of all, tell me what happened in your opinion.
00:47What happened in class that day?
00:54When we got to know that our child was a child.
01:00You came to the hospital.
01:01As we reached the hospital, all teachers were gone there.
01:05And our child was not.
01:07We saw that our child was not.
01:09Because her body was fully fully.
01:11After that, we are in contact with the police.
01:15We met with the ethnicity photo,
01:16we saw the CCTV footage on the October 31-10 October.
01:18We seen the police station.
01:21We thought the teachers' question about what we are saying.
01:25But no response was not.
01:26The two words were saying,
01:28she said,
01:29she says,
01:29she didn't be able to study in these.
01:31This is the way we began.
01:33And we all told from the police.
01:34We talked about the CCTV.
01:36So we used to take the classroom to give the class the students.
01:38and to give the class the students.
01:42not possible.
01:44So we said that this is not true.
01:45We have seen that in 8 months,
01:47we have 3 I.O. changed in this country.
01:49They have been in the 23rd of February
01:50for negligence.
01:53We have already applied to High Court
01:54in the High Court.
01:57Then our I.O. changed.
01:59Then the J.J. 75 Act
02:01was applied to class teacher.
02:03When we were demanding
02:04of Abitment to Suicide.
02:06In the Abitment to Suicide,
02:07the teacher said,
02:10we are going to go.
02:11That is not true.
02:12That is not true.
02:14You don't have to know that
02:15you don't have to know your duty.
02:16You don't have to know your child's care.
02:18You don't have to know your child's care.
02:19That's why you have to know your child's care.
02:22We have to start this.
02:24We have to start this.
02:25Abitment to Suicide
02:26was applied to class teacher.
02:27The Hindu and Swaromodhi
02:29was applied to 106.
02:30They were applied to the negligence.
02:32They were also applied to the J.J. 75.
02:36The school was applied to the principal.
02:39Counseling, Anti-bullying, Supervision,
02:40CCTV.
02:41They were all responsible for the principal.
02:43They would have to see if they are qualified
02:44or not.
02:45They are qualified teachers.
02:47They are not qualified teachers.
02:48The J.J. 75 Act
02:50should also be applied to the principal.
02:52In Swaromodhi,
02:53it should be applied to the building.
02:55The building is illegal.
02:56You have to keep the children
02:57in the G-5 building
02:58when there is NC-PCR's guideline.
03:00There are many violations
03:02that should be against the school
03:05against action.
03:07I understand this.
03:08But I want to come back to Amaira Keshw
03:09and Shivani Ji,
03:12if you want to tell us
03:13that you have never been upset.
03:15Amaira has never told you
03:18that something was going on in class.
03:20because there is such an extreme step.
03:24And I can only think
03:25that when I was nine years old
03:27or you will be nine years old.
03:29What can only happen in one day
03:31that children take such an extreme step?
03:34So, in my mind,
03:35that something is going on
03:36during a long time,
03:38which came to the surface that day.
03:41Is there ever a discussion
03:42about this?
03:44No, ma'am.
03:46As far as I understand Amaira
03:49in that school,
03:51she was comfortable.
03:52She was good.
03:54She was happy.
03:57She was academically strong.
03:58She was taking awards.
04:00She was happy that way also.
04:02She was performing well.
04:03And before the two or three incidents,
04:07I can never think
04:09about this.
04:10What instances were there?
04:11I have to level.
04:12Ma'am, they are like
04:13one and a half years old.
04:15I mean,
04:15it was very difficult.
04:16And in the third section,
04:18there was an incident.
04:18One time,
04:19she was sitting on a swing.
04:20Someone gave a hug,
04:21a little child in her hand.
04:23His hand was red.
04:25So, I called the teacher
04:27and addressed her.
04:29Then there was one
04:30middle finger episode.
04:31A child showed her
04:32middle finger.
04:33She was not knowing about it.
04:35So, she asked me,
04:35Ma'am, what is it?
04:37So, I called to the teacher.
04:40I wrote one message
04:41also.
04:42Then, in the complaint,
04:43I wrote to the coordinator
04:44of the third standard.
04:46Ma'am, it was this episode.
04:48But,
04:48you try to see this day
04:50as a stand-alone
04:51as a stand-alone.
05:12in which,
05:13Amaira is alone.
05:14She is telling something.
05:16And all the boys,
05:17four or five boys,
05:19are ganging.
05:20That day,
05:20they ganged up
05:21and they were laughing at her.
05:23Go, see Ma'am,
05:24on CCTV CCTV,
05:25on CCTV,
05:25on CCTV,
05:26a girl
05:26has to laugh at her window
05:29and she was so angry
05:31because she was uncomfortable.
05:33And,
05:34in this situation,
05:36a teacher,
05:37Ma'am,
05:37parent's heart,
05:49is a sign of help.
06:02This is a sign of help,
06:04Ma'am.
06:04Running in the corridor
06:05is a sign of help,
06:07in itself.
06:08Shutting the door
06:08of the class
06:09is a sign.
06:10And, Ma'am,
06:11look at her.
06:11She is unable to...
06:13Breathing heavily.
06:13She is breathing heavily
06:15at the third floor.
06:16She never wanted to jump
06:18because,
06:18Amaira was scared of only one thing
06:20in life,
06:20which was height.
06:22She was scared of
06:22two-foot bench
06:23of my society.
06:25So,
06:25taking this extreme step
06:28by the bullying
06:29of the single day,
06:30I believe
06:31that was the
06:32stand-alone incident
06:33which happened with her.
06:34Everybody ganged up.
06:36Teacher supported
06:38all those students.
06:39Teacher used
06:41her position
06:42of authority
06:43to scream
06:43and shout at her.
06:45That's what happened
06:46that day, Ma'am.
06:47No, it can happen,
06:48right?
06:48That's what happened
06:50that day, Ma'am.
06:50That's what happened
06:50that day, Ma'am.
06:57She was not a teenager.
06:59She was a nine-year-old child.
07:01Ma'am,
07:02nine-year-old child,
07:03you and me,
07:03please,
07:04one more time,
07:06We didn't have
07:07so much guts
07:07that we could approach
07:09the teacher
07:09five times
07:10in 25 minutes.
07:12Amaira
07:13was a brave girl.
07:15She was a brave girl.
07:19Until that level
07:20she zoned out.
07:22I saw the footage
07:24of fourth floor
07:25from where she jumped.
07:26I really think
07:28she is not my Amaira.
07:30Something has taken over her
07:31in the sense
07:32her mind is not
07:33in her senses completely.
07:35She is in a state
07:36of hurry and panic.
07:38And she jumped.
07:39She thought it is better
07:40to die here
07:41or to, you know,
07:42to fall from here.
07:43That's what I'm trying
07:44to think of, you know.
07:45And, you know,
07:47it's very hard.
07:48It's very, very sad
07:49what has happened.
07:50That is why I'm saying
07:50kudos to you guys
07:51to have the courage
07:52to speak about it,
07:53to keep fighting about it,
07:54to keep looking at the footage
07:56every day.
07:56I can only understand
07:57how hard it must be
07:58for you all.
08:00You know,
08:01I was just getting so,
08:03you know,
08:04so, so worried
08:05about the whole situation.
08:06And you're right
08:07that she approaches
08:08the teacher
08:09not once,
08:10not twice,
08:11not three times,
08:12four or five times
08:13she goes to the teacher
08:14and she approaches.
08:15So, the entire issue
08:16that you have
08:17at the moment is
08:18that if a child
08:19is isolated
08:20in a class,
08:21whether it's a mistake
08:22or someone else's mistake,
08:24then the teacher
08:25should have seen
08:25as to intervene
08:25to the teacher.
08:27I'm sorry.
08:28I'm putting you through
08:29all of this all over again.
08:31I'm really sorry.
08:32But,
08:33our work is like
08:34that we have to ask
08:35a lot of questions
08:37to know the story.
08:38So,
08:38do you want us
08:39to tell us
08:40that when you have
08:41this whole situation
08:42in your police
08:43or the teachers
08:44that the teacher
08:46should not be
08:46responsible for
08:48what happened
08:49in the class?
08:50So,
08:50what happened
08:51in the class?
08:52So,
08:52what happened
08:55in the class?
09:13What happened
09:13addressed
09:14your child
09:15and said
09:17something
09:17about us.
09:17What happened
09:20to the teacher?
09:22the police
09:22that
09:23I was told
09:23that
09:24that
09:24the
09:24teacher
09:25has been
09:25to the
09:28So,
09:31is
09:35the
09:35teacher
09:37who
09:37taught
09:38the
09:38who
09:38taught
09:39the
09:39teacher
09:40told
09:43that
09:44the
09:46that
09:46the
09:46other
09:47teacher
09:47told
09:48that
09:50that
09:51the
09:52teacher
09:54told
09:54the
09:56other
09:57parents
09:59She goes 2-3 times in the footage. If you can see her girlfriend in the end, she's a girl.
10:06She goes to her also and she's trying to understand.
10:08She's the same girl with whom she had gone to the gym class earlier.
10:15The one in the blue t-shirt.
10:17What is the parents saying?
10:22No, ma'am.
10:23The one in the middle row. The one in the yellow t-shirt.
10:28The one in the blue t-shirt.
10:30She's a member of the gang.
10:33She's a girl.
10:34She's a girl.
10:35She goes to the seat.
10:37What are you doing?
10:40She wants to know why she's doing this.
10:44Why are you doing this?
10:46She's a girl.
10:47She's not sitting in the seat.
10:49She's sitting in the seat.
10:50That's why she's looking for a girl.
10:53She's about to know why she's going.
10:55She's not a girl.
10:59She's the girl.
11:01She's the girl.
11:01She's a girl.
11:02She's funny.
11:03And she was missing the girl.
11:05She's the girl.
11:08We're all new- Hang on.
11:13We have seen disagreements in the class, we have seen a lot of teachers and parents in the house.
11:19In our time, we were scared too. Today, parents, you and you are very sensitive.
11:24I am trying to think about this. What happened to you that the child will take so extreme steps?
11:30What happened to you in this classroom? That the child will take so extreme steps?
11:33And I think that the worrying thing that you are talking about is that no one is telling.
11:37It is not telling.
11:38I am not telling. Myra is in this school.
11:43Myra has seen, she feels that classes are like this.
11:47Myra is in this class, they are in six days.
11:50My kids are always doing something.
11:53Myra thinks that this is how it is in the class room.
11:55She does not know that in our time there was so much silence.
11:59She does not know the same thing. We know that she understands.
12:01She thinks that our school is like this.
12:03So, in that situation, we don't know that when we will get an exam, or suppose a child
12:08has said that, ma'am, our bad videos about you, ma'am, our bad videos about you, ma'am,
12:12our bad videos about you, ma'am, our bad videos about you, this is the same thing.
12:14Suppose, if the child will gang up and talk about that, then the child will be scared,
12:19it's a 9-year-old child.
12:20I am sure for one thing, that day, she was not coming to the home.
12:26The teacher has said something like that, today your parents will be called and you will
12:30be taken to the principal's office, and some investigation stuff has happened, ma'am.
12:36Otherwise, if we get one opportunity, even a phone call, I was right there, sitting at
12:43only 2-3 km away.
12:44So, if the parents also called, then what happens?
12:47We don't know what the matter is.
12:49Ma'am, we don't know what is the context, what is the conversation, we don't know, ma'am.
12:53You can know the body language, ma'am, she is bent, you know, she is not straight, you
12:58can see her, she is bent in most of the conversation, she is not the same Amaira, she is lacking
13:03the
13:04confidence, her body language has changed that day, she is not, she is not my Amaira.
13:10Okay, Shivani, I have to ask you a tough question, I want to ask this very respectfully.
13:15Some people will say, if you have released the CCTV footage, if we remove the voice over, okay.
13:22And if you look at that, there is an argument that she was guilty of something, because of
13:28which she was being cornered, and something could have happened.
13:32But my question is, even if she was, why would someone take such an extreme step?
13:38Even if she was, why would someone take such an extreme step?
13:49So, you know, there are different ways to look at this story, I am just trying to understand
13:57your ultimate loss is there. But what is your learning on this whole episode?
14:03Did you learn what you are learning about and what is happening with our education system?
14:08Yeah. So, ma'am, to say this, we did not think of that.
14:17This cannot be an argument. No.
14:21You are the only one.
14:22In your question, there is an answer.
14:24The teacher was in our role.
14:27We are parents, we are alone.
14:29We have no distress signal, we are to recognize.
14:31We are to forgive us.
14:33We are to understand.
14:35And until the child is not in the same way, we are to sit down.
14:40You can see, the teacher has not to give us a role.
14:44We are to shout, or misuse their position, or misuse their position, or threaten.
14:50And ma'am, this is just an eight-minute clip which you are seeing.
14:54If you see the last one-and-a-half-hour footage, you will understand that the teacher has not helped
15:01her.
15:01In fact, she has cornered her.
15:03Even if there are three children, ma'am,
15:06then the mother will also help her three children.
15:09If she is angry, then she will also help her, then she will also help her, then she will also
15:11help her, then she will also help her.
15:12When she is in the position of teacher authority, she is the only line,
15:17like everybody, please be calm,
15:20all sit in your seat, no one will complain to me.
15:23I will come to you and solve your problems.
15:27Whatever, whatever her way is.
15:32She was shutting the door, you could see that her friend is sitting behind her, that my
15:38panic situation is going out, 5,500 kids plus 1,800 staff, nobody was there, she was going
15:46to the ground floor to the 4th floor, no one saw it, and everyone is not doing their duties
15:53this is a total systemic failure, there is a total collapse of a school, and learning
16:02is very important that when we go to PTM and teachers give feedback, we take academic feedback
16:14and come.
16:15We should always talk to teachers about what is the counselling mechanism you are following
16:20here, my child has given help to the counsellor, what is the counselling mechanism, if there
16:27is bullying incident, what is the committee, there are many members of this committee, and
16:33who is the representative, who is the parent representative, what is the PTA structure.
16:36What is the PTA structure, what is the PTA structure, what is the PTA structure, how are the PTA
16:50Ma'am, these are all questions.
16:52These are all questions we have to ask.
16:55Do we have some learning for children and parents for this?
16:58Yes, ma'am, that's a great learning.
17:00What is our learning?
17:01There are two types of learning, ma'am.
17:04One is the bullying and one is the bullying.
17:07Ma'am, the bullying is the bullying.
17:10We need to understand parents.
17:11If they have a child's complaint,
17:14they don't aggressively deny them.
17:16No, my child is very good.
17:19They can't bully anyone.
17:22So, we need to address that complaint.
17:24We need to know what was the truth.
17:26Where was your child's fault?
17:28We need to understand, ma'am.
17:29When the child is bullying,
17:32we need to keep an open conversation.
17:35We need to know what is happening.
17:39I wish, ma'am, that I have one episode
17:44in which I know that she is not comfortable in the class.
17:48I wish that she would come.
17:50And even after seeing that bullying in the class,
17:54I can never imagine that school's structure will fail.
17:58In school, there will be a little rallying,
18:00which will be a letter effect.
18:01And the rallying will be a letter position.
18:04And Amaira, this is beyond imagination for any parent.
18:07In India, we have not heard any child in school.
18:12I have not heard any child in school.
18:14I have not heard any child in 10 years.
18:17And Amaira was never knowing the meaning of the suicide.
18:20I have not heard any child.
18:21There was a little bit of a fracture.
18:23I presume, as a mother, that she would think
18:25that she will fall and this conversation will be over forever.
18:30And I will not be blamed.
18:31Maybe she thought like that.
18:33Maybe.
18:34As a 40-year-old woman,
18:37I don't understand that I will fall from the tenth floor
18:38or die from the tenth floor.
18:40Or die from the fourth floor.
18:41I will die from the tenth floor.
18:43I am not knowing this.
18:44I didn't know it.
18:45I didn't know it.
18:46I wanted to do it.
18:46I wanted to get to the second floor.
18:48I wanted to get to the second floor.
18:49I wanted to get to the second floor.
18:49The situation is falling out.
18:52I just want to say that,
18:58like I said earlier,
18:59it's brave of you guys to come out and speak.
19:01And it is so scary for every parent who has watched this story.
19:06We have lived your trauma with you.
19:07I just want to tell you that.
19:09Everybody was seeing their own kid in Amaira's face.
19:12And this is not what we want.
19:14In our schools.
19:14In our society.
19:16And the way things are progressing.
19:17The way kids are developing.
19:19Or perhaps one lesson for me also from all of this has been that.
19:22What is my rapport with my child?
19:25It should be a way.
19:26There should be a way where we are able to talk all of these things out.
19:29And not take extreme steps.
19:30Yeah.
19:31Very quickly.
19:31Yeah, sir.
19:32If you know more about Amaira,
19:33if you have more viewers about Amaira,
19:37I have created a website about Amaira.com.
19:39And my Instagram page is called Waltra Films.
19:42You go and see Amaira's kind of child and how she lives with us.
19:47You will know how she lives with us.
19:59So, just please, before commenting, please see that we have lost everything in this world.
20:05Whatever we were.
20:07Yeah, there is no such thing as a perfect parent, I think.
20:10There is no such thing.
20:11Ultimately, the loss is yours.
20:12And we really, all we can do is sympathize.
20:14All we can hope is that justice will be done.
20:16And all we can really hope why we need justice is so that no such incident happens again.
20:20This is not the life we want for our kids.
20:22Thank you for joining us on this very, very important conversation.
Comments