After the alleged assault on young children at a daycare center inside the IT company’s campus here came to light, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh on Thursday assured that strict action will be taken against those responsible.
He also said that the police would check whether other daycare centers were functioning as per the prescribed rules and regulations.
An FIR has been registered against five female employees of a daycare center within IT company, Capgemini, at Brookfield here for allegedly physically abusing young children.
As a precautionary measure, they will temporarily close their daycare facility within the Bengaluru campus, Capgemini said in a statement.
Read also | Abuse of young children, detention of 5 nannies, temporary closure of facility: Inside the daycare case in Bengaluru
The matter came to light after videos allegedly showing the abuse were shared via WhatsApp and reported to the child helpline.
Speaking to reporters here, the city police commissioner said that within the limits of HAL police station, a complaint was received from a child protection officer naming five female employees working at a day care facility within an IT company.
“We are examining the complaint and videos submitted as evidence. The Joint Commissioner of Police Eastern and the police officer in charge of Whitefield are currently at the site to verify the facts,” he said.
The officer described the incident as a “very serious matter” and said they would take the strictest action possible.
“We were not aware of this incident earlier. As soon as we learned of it, a case was immediately registered. Not only that, we will look into any other facilities that operate in this way,” he said.
The commissioner said the police will also inspect other daycare centers to check whether they are operating in accordance with local rules and regulations.
He said: “We have asked the relevant department that filed the complaint to provide us with a list of all day care units, and whether they are licensed and follow the prescribed guidelines.”
The IT company claimed that Capgemini’s top priority is the health, safety and well-being of its employees and their families.
“We are fully cooperating with the relevant authorities and assisting them in their efforts to uncover the facts,” she said in the statement.
A female officer of the rank of Deputy Commissioner has been deputed to investigate the alleged violations at the IT company’s day care facility.
“She and the Eastern Joint Commissioner are personally looking into this serious matter. We are verifying the details as the complaint was received only yesterday. Our priority, more than immediate arrests, is to ensure that the culprits do not escape. If anyone supports them, or if this is happening for a long time, all these acts will be exposed. No one will be spared,” Singh added.
He added that videos of alleged violations are being verified while surveillance camera footage and all other technical evidence are being carefully examined.
Police said the videos showed children crying and being physically abused and tortured by caregivers.
According to police, the alleged videos showed caregivers threatening the young children, aged between two and three, when they cried or caused a disturbance.
The complaint alleged that the women placed their children inside a front-loading washing machine, forced them to sit on a Western-style toilet, sprayed water into their mouths with a toilet spray, locked them inside bathrooms, and threatened them to remain silent.
