On the evening of December 17th, a male student at Tianli International School in Xichang, Sichuan, tragically jumped to his death. According to the student’s parents, their son was fatally assaulted two hours before his death for trying to stop a classmate from cutting in line at the cafeteria. It was suspected that the lack of attention to bullying issues by the teachers led to the student’s decision to take his own life.
The mother of the male student revealed in a video that on the day her son jumped off the building, he was retaliated against for confronting a classmate who tried to cut in line at the cafeteria, and he was physically assaulted twice within an hour.
She further explained that during the evening self-study session, her son, being brutally attacked by a group of students, raised his hand to signal the teacher for help. However, the teacher in the classroom ignored him completely, and after raising his hand for over a minute, the student chose to end his life by jumping off the building.
The male student’s sister told Jinyun News that “he refused to let others cut in line, got into an argument with some classmates, and then more than ten students there beat him up. He was assaulted once in the cafeteria and again in the corridor on the way back.”
She added that her brother noticed bleeding from his head during class, raised his hand to alert the teacher, but received no response. He raised his hand for a minute, but the teacher didn’t pay attention. Subsequently, her brother tragically jumped off the building and passed away.
In response to this incident, a bulletin issued on December 19th by “Xichang News” stated that the student, identified as Lei, a 15-year-old male, jumped from the 5th-floor classroom window and succumbed to his injuries.
However, the bulletin denied the allegations of Lei being physically assaulted, claiming that on the day of the incident, Lei scolded his classmates Lin and Huang for cutting in line at the cafeteria. Lin slapped him on the back of his head, and after some classmates intervened, both groups went their separate ways. After lunch, Lei encountered Lin again on his way back to the classroom, leading to an altercation where Lin grabbed Lei’s neck and pushed him to the ground, while Huang kicked Lei’s back and buttocks. Mediation by the class teachers followed, with apologies exchanged, and the students returned to their respective classrooms for lessons.
The bulletin also mentioned that a joint investigation team reviewed surveillance footage from the school premises, including classrooms, corridors, dormitories, cafeteria, and playground. They formed a “Video Work Team” and stated that there was no evidence of Lei being harmed by others prior to the incident. Interviews with 47 individuals including teachers, students, and friends also did not indicate any signs of Lei being victimized before the tragedy.
The bulletin concluded by acknowledging the safety management deficiencies at Tianli International School, inadequate response to emergencies, untimely crisis handling, unreasonable security positions in critical areas, and the lack of psychological counseling for students. It ruled out any criminal behavior in the case. Lin and Huang, who were involved in the altercation with Lei, were penalized by the public security authorities for violating the Administrative Penalties Law.
The bulletin sparked online skepticism, with many netizens expressing the need for an impartial third-party investigation without local bias or potential conflicts of interest.
Some online comments highlighted the severity of unfair education practices, stating that neglecting bullying issues contaminates the entire education system. They criticized the lack of teacher intervention and care for injured students, emphasizing the importance of providing medical attention promptly. There were calls for justice for the student and demands for a fair resolution to the incident.