Capgemini Bengaluru shuts daycare after video shows attendant torturing children

Capgemini has temporarily shut its on-campus daycare facility in Bengaluru after videos showing toddlers being subjected to abuse sparked widespread outrage and triggered a police investigation.

In a statement, the company said the health, safety and wellbeing of its employees and their families remained its "foremost priority". It added that it was fully cooperating with the authorities investigating the matter.

"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," the company said.

The development came after disturbing videos surfaced online showing children as young as two-years-old being subjected to abusive treatment at the daycare centre operating inside Capgemini's Bengaluru campus.

The footage showed toddlers being forced to sit inside the drum of a front-loading washing machine, having water sprayed into their mouths with a jet spray, and being locked inside bathrooms as punishment for crying.

The videos triggered widespread outrage, following which police registered an FIR against five women and launched an investigation into the abuse. Officials are probing whether the incidents were isolated or part of a pattern of repeated mistreatment at the facility.

It remained unclear whether the daycare is directly operated by Capgemini or by an external service provider functioning from within the company's premises.

The case came to light after the videos circulated on social media, prompting authorities to initiate legal action and investigate the circumstances surrounding the alleged abuse.

The complaint alleges that the women subjected toddlers, who had been left at the daycare by their working parents, to abusive punishments. These allegedly included forcing children to sit inside the drum of a front-loading washing machine, making them sit on a Western-style toilet, spraying water into their mouths with a bidet, and locking them inside a bathroom in an attempt to stop them from crying.

Meanwhile, Commissioner of Police for Bengaluru City, Seemanth Kumar Singh, called it a very serious incident and assured strict action against those found to be involved in or supporting such acts.

"As per the complaint, five names have been mentioned of the women staff who are working in a daycare facility in an IT sector company. We are currently going through the complaint and the videos that have been submitted as part of it. We are verifying the facts. Whatever has happened is a very serious issue, and we will take strict action. We were not aware of this incident earlier, but as soon as we came to know about it, a case was immediately registered," Singh said.

"A Deputy Commissioner-rank officer, a lady officer, has been deputed for this case, and both she and the Joint Commissioner (East) are looking into the matter... The main concern is that the perpetrators should not escape accountability. If anyone is found to be involved or supporting such acts, strict action will be taken," he added.

The matter has also been taken up by the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights after a petition sought its intervention. The commission is expected to call for a report from the authorities and independently examine the allegations.