Capgemini Shuts Bengaluru Daycare After Videos Allegedly Show Toddlers Being Abused

Police in Bengaluru have registered an FIR against five women caregivers after videos allegedly showed children between two and three years old being made to sit inside the drum of a front-loading washing machine, having water sprayed into their mouths with a toilet jet spray, and being locked in bathrooms at a daycare centre inside Capgemini's HAL campus in Bengaluru.

The incident came to light after the videos went viral on social media and was reported to the Child Helpline on Monday. HAL police then stepped in and began examining the complaint and the video material. The daycare facility is located within the IT company's campus, where employees are understood to leave their young children during working hours.

Police have registered a case against five women caregivers employed at the daycare centre within the HAL police station limits under relevant provisions of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.

The case was registered at the HAL Police Station under Section 351(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act, based on a complaint filed by district child protection unit officer Tilakesh Kumar.

Five caregivers-Manjula, Vijayalakshmi, Bhavani, Sindhu and Bindu-have been named in the case, as reported by DH.

The accused caregivers are yet to be summoned for questioning, according to the available information. Officials are expected to examine the videos and speak to parents, staff and facility administrators as the probe moves forward.

Meanwhile, the company said the well-being of its employees and their families remains its top priority and that the daycare facility has been temporarily shut.

According to the complaint, the videos allegedly show toddlers crying while being physically assaulted, intimidated and mistreated by caregivers. The complaint also alleged that the children were made to sit inside the drum of a front-loading washing machine, forced to sit on a western-style toilet, sprayed with water in their mouths using a toilet jet spray, locked inside bathrooms and subjected to intimidation.

The complainant further said that the footage points to a repeated pattern of abuse, with children being threatened whenever they cried or caused any disturbance inside the childcare facility.

The matter has also reached the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) after a petition sought its intervention. The commission is expected to seek a report from the authorities and independently examine the allegations.