Shimla: In a tragic incident early Sunday morning, Jessica Sharma, a ninth-grade student of Roots Country School in Bagi, Kotkhai, Shimla district, Himachal Pradesh, died after jumping from the fifth floor of the school’s hostel. The incident occurred around 6 a.m., while most students were asleep on the Sunday holiday.
Jessica, the daughter of Deepak Sharma from Urlana village, Panipat district, Haryana, had been enrolled at the day-boarding school for the past two years. She was immediately rushed to the Kotkhai Health Centre, where doctors declared her dead. Her post-mortem is scheduled for Monday at IGMC Shimla. Police have registered a case and launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her death.
Family members said Jessica had recently returned home due to illness and was participating in the school’s NSS camp, where she had won two medals in recent days. According to her family, she had never expressed any difficulties at home or school, making her sudden action perplexing.
Jessica’s uncle, Amit Sharma, disclosed that she had called her mother on Saturday evening to express that she did not wish to continue at the school for the next academic session. Despite performing well academically, this decision came as a shock to her family.
Police, along with family members, reviewed CCTV footage from the school and hostel. While the footage shows Jessica going to the fifth floor, it does not clearly capture the point from which she fell. Her elder brother, currently in 12th grade, is also a student at the same school.
Shimla Police Superintendent Sanjeev Gandhi confirmed the incident and stated that the investigation is examining all possible angles to determine the reasons behind the tragedy.
