IT giant Capgemini on Wednesday temporarily shut its Bengaluru daycare following reports of alleged abuse of children between two and three years at the centre.
In a statement, the company said, "Capgemini's foremost priority is the health, safety and wellbeing of its employees and their families. We are cooperating fully with the relevant authorities and assisting them in their efforts to establish the facts. As a precautionary measure, we are temporarily closing the Bengaluru on-campus daycare facility."
Why Capgemini closed its Bengaluru daycare
After disturbing videos of abuse surfaced online, five nannies at the crèche on Capgemini's campus in east Bengaluru were booked for cruelty against children, ANI reported.
The videos allegedly showed the nannies placing toddlers inside a washing machine, spraying water into their mouths using a toilet jet spray, and locking them into washrooms to stop them from crying.
Police have identified the five nannies as Manjula, Vijayalakshmi, Bhavani, Sindhu, and Bindu. The HAL Police have registered a case under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and Section 351 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for criminal intimidation.
Police said toddlers were also forced to sit on Western-style commodes and threatened into silence, ANI reported. Most of the toddlers' parents are IT professionals working at the company. The case gained attention after a child helpline official received four videos and informed police. Citing police sources, ANI reported that a staffer whose friend was recently fired from the daycare recorded the footage.
According to media reports, police registered an FIR on 29 June at HAL police station based on a complaint made by district child protection unit officer Tilakesh Kumar, who received these videos on WhatsApp from Capgemini's Brookfield campus daycare.
Police inspect premises, obtain CCTV footage
On Wednesday, HAL police inspected the premises and obtained CCTV footage. Additionally, notices were sent to all five accused, directing them to appear for questioning.
A senior police officer said investigators will reach out to the toddlers' parents to determine whether they had observed any indications of abuse or whether the children had reported being mistreated.
Under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, anyone responsible for a child's care who subjects the child to cruelty can face a prison term ranging from three to ten years.
A senior police officer said, "The accused women are being questioned, and we are also verifying the authenticity of the videos and trying to establish when the incidents occurred and whether more children were subjected to similar abuse."
No arrests have been made yet, police said, adding that further investigation is underway, PTI reported.