A shocking child abuse case has emerged from tech giant Capgemini's Bengaluru campus after videos allegedly showed toddlers being subjected to horrific abuse at the company's daycare centre in Brookefield.
According to a report in the Times of India, police have booked five daycare workers — Manjula, Vijayalakshmi, Bhavani, Sindhu and Bindu — under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and Section 351 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for criminal intimidation.
The videos purportedly show toddlers aged between two and three years being placed inside a front-loading washing machine, locked inside toilets, sprayed with water in their mouths using a toilet jet spray, and forced to sit on Western-style commodes to stop them from crying. The caregivers are also accused of threatening the children into silence.
The alleged abuse took place at the crèche on Capgemini's Brookefield campus in east Bengaluru, where many employees leave their young children while they are at work.
According to a report in the Times of India, the case came to light after a child helpline official received four videos allegedly documenting the abuse and alerted the police. Investigators said the footage was recorded by a daycare staff member whose friend had been dismissed from the facility last month.
Police inspected the daycare centre on Wednesday, collected CCTV footage and issued notices to all five accused, directing them to appear for questioning. Investigators will also speak to the parents of the children to determine whether they noticed signs of abuse or whether the toddlers had displayed unusual behaviour or complained of mistreatment.
Responding to the allegations, Capgemini said the safety and well-being of employees and their families remain its top priority.
"Capgemini's foremost priority is the health, safety and well-being of its employees and their family members. 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 campus day care facility," the company said in a statement.
Police said the investigation is ongoing. Under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, cruelty towards children by caregivers is punishable with imprisonment ranging from three to ten years if the allegations are proven.
