BENGALURU: Capgemini has temporarily shut its daycare facility at its Bengaluru campus after videos allegedly showing toddlers being abused by caregivers surfaced online.In a statement, the company said, “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 alleged abuse took place at the crèche on the company’s Brookefield campus in east Bengaluru, where many employees leave their young children while at work.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 for criminal intimidation.According to police, videos purportedly show toddlers aged between two and three being placed inside a front-loading washing machine, sprayed with water in their mouths using a toilet jet spray, and locked inside toilets to stop them from crying. Investigators also alleged that the children were forced to sit on Western-style commodes and threatened into silence.The case came to light after a child helpline official received four videos and alerted the police. Investigators said the footage was recorded by a staff member whose friend had been dismissed from the daycare centre last month.Police inspected the premises on Wednesday and collected CCTV footage. Notices have been issued to all five accused, asking them to appear for questioning.A senior police officer said investigators would contact the parents of the children to find out whether they had noticed any signs of abuse or whether the children had complained of mistreatment.Under Section 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act, cruelty towards children by caregivers is punishable with imprisonment ranging from three to ten years.Police said the investigation is ongoing.
