Attended birthday party before tragedy; brother in same school
TNR News Network
SHIMLA:
Himachal Pradesh capital Shimla witnessed a tragic incident on Sunday (September 28, 2025) when a Class 10 student allegedly ended her life by jumping from the fifth floor of her school hostel. The deceased has been identified as 16-year-old Jessica Sharma from Panipat in Haryana who was studying at Roots Country School, Kotkhai.
The police reached the spot soon after receiving information and shifted her body to the Kotkhai government hospital. Later, it was sent to Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC), Shimla, for post-mortem.
Family suspects ‘something wrong’ at school
Jessica’s relatives, who rushed to Shimla upon hearing the news, have alleged that she was forced into depression due to some incident at the school. Her maternal uncle, Manish, said the family received a call around 6.30 am from the school informing them that Jessica had jumped from the terrace and was being taken to hospital.
He further claimed that the school authorities showed them CCTV footage of the student looking withdrawn on the fourth floor. However, Jessica’s fall was reported from the fifth floor, raising suspicions. “We strongly feel something untoward happened with her in the hostel,” he alleged.
Birthday party before tragedy
According to the hostel warden, Jessica attended a birthday celebration of a friend on Saturday night and went to bed around 10.30 pm. She reportedly woke up at 4 am and again at 6 am to go to the washroom before the incident occurred. Just two days earlier, she had received an NCC cadet medal at the school and was said to be very happy.
Jessica hailed from Uralana Kalan village in Panipat, where her father, Deepak Sharma, is a hardware trader and also serves as the head of the local gaushala. Both Jessica and her elder brother had joined Roots Country School about 18 months ago, with her brother currently studying in Class XII.
