14-year-old athlete dies after fall at Ghaziabad residential society
A 14-year-old student who had recently returned home after winning national-level gold medals in rope skipping died after falling from the 12th floor of a residential building in Ghaziabad on Friday night, September 25.
The teenager was identified as Prachi Rajput, a Class 9 student at DDPS in Ghaziabad. She lived with her family at Rajnagar Residency Society in Raj Nagar Extension.
Police said the incident occurred at around 9 pm at the society's G Tower. Prachi was taken to Yashoda Hospital in Sanjay Nagar, where doctors declared her dead.
The circumstances surrounding the fall remain under investigation.
Family says Prachi had gone to collect clothes from balcony
According to accounts given by the family to police and reported by multiple news organisations, Prachi had gone to the balcony to collect clothes that had been left to dry.
She subsequently fell from the 12th-floor balcony. Residents and security personnel rushed to the scene after hearing the sound of the fall, according to reports.
Some reports have described the incident as an accidental fall. However, police have not yet announced a definitive conclusion about the circumstances, making it important not to present an accident—or any other explanation—as an established fact at this stage.
ACP Nandgram Ziauddin Ahmed said the preliminary inquiry indicated that the teenager had fallen from the balcony, but investigators would determine through further investigation whether it was an accident or involved another circumstance.
Police and forensic team examine the scene
Police reached the residential society after receiving information about the incident through Dial 112.
According to Amar Ujala, a police team as well as a forensic field unit inspected the scene and collected evidence. Investigators are expected to consider the post-mortem findings and statements from family members while deciding further legal action.
Another local report said police were also examining CCTV footage from the area and that no suicide note had been recovered in the initial investigation.
These are significant details because the precise cause and circumstances of the fall have not been officially established.
Two gold medals just days before her death
Prachi's death came only days after a major sporting achievement.
Dainik Jagran reported that she had returned two days earlier from the CBSE National Rope Skipping competition in Shirdi, Maharashtra, where she won gold medals in two events:
Double Dutch Pair Freestyle — Gold
Double Dutch Single Freestyle — Gold
Her family had been celebrating her performance before Friday night's incident.
Official government information about CBSE sports confirms that rope skipping is among the disciplines conducted directly at the national level under the CBSE Games structure.
Prachi was also interested in studies and music
Reports citing her family described Prachi as active beyond competitive sport.
She was a Class 9 student and was said to have interests in academics, sports and music. Her recent national-level performance had brought considerable happiness to her family.
According to Hindustan Times, she was born in July 2012 and was at home with family members, including her parents, younger sister and maternal grandparents, around the time of the incident.
Investigation remains the key unanswered part of the story
While the basic sequence—the teenager falling from the 12th floor and later being declared dead at hospital—is established across police-based reports, the reason for the fall remains unresolved.
That distinction is particularly important when reporting the death of a minor.
The family's account that Prachi had gone to retrieve clothes from the balcony is part of the evidence available to investigators, but the police inquiry is continuing. CCTV footage, forensic findings, witness and family statements, and the post-mortem examination could provide further clarity.
Until investigators issue their findings, the case should therefore be described as a death following a fall from the 12th floor, rather than definitively characterising the circumstances behind the fall.
JantaScope Editorial Note
Editorial Note: This report concerns the death of a minor. JantaScope has avoided speculation about the cause or circumstances of the fall. While the family reportedly told police that Prachi had gone to the balcony to collect clothes, investigators had not announced a final conclusion about how the fall occurred at the time of publication. The article will be updated if police or other competent authorities release verified findings.
