Arrests Made After Viral Videos Show Abuse
Bengaluru police have arrested two nannies, identified as Manjula and Vijayalakshmi, for allegedly abusing toddlers at a daycare centre located on the campus of IT firm Capgemini. The arrests followed an FIR registered after videos of the alleged abuse went viral on social media.
According to the investigating officer, the nannies were identified during video verification and subsequently taken into custody. They were produced before a court, which remanded them to 14 days of judicial custody.
Details of the Alleged Abuse
Police sources revealed that the videos showed the caregivers threatening toddlers, aged between two and three years old, when they cried or caused a disturbance. The alleged abuse included placing children inside a front-loading washing machine, making them sit on a western-style toilet, spraying water into their mouths using a toilet jet spray, locking them inside bathrooms, and threatening them to keep quiet.
The incidents took place at the daycare centre run on the Capgemini campus, raising serious concerns about child safety and oversight.
Capgemini's Response
Capgemini, the IT firm on whose campus the daycare operates, issued a statement emphasizing that the health, safety, and well-being of its employees and their families is its foremost priority. The company said it is cooperating fully with relevant authorities and assisting them in establishing the facts.
Government Reaction
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge condemned the incident, stating that the state has zero tolerance for such abuse. He noted that the incident not only affects the reputation of the company but also 'Brand Bengaluru'.
“We have already sought clarification from the company through our department,” Kharge told reporters. He added that large and reputed companies have their own policies, which are expected to follow global standards on how creches, nurseries, and daycare centres should be managed.
The minister explained that the companies have Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) that were overlooked. “They should have carried out proper verification and different kinds of background checks. I believe that was not done,” he said.
Kharge stated he was awaiting the company's written explanation and stressed that no organisation should allow such incidents to occur. Matters involving toddlers, he added, must be handled with the utmost responsibility. “What has happened is truly a matter that makes one hang one's head in shame,” he said.
The minister also noted that the Department of Women and Child Welfare has guidelines on how daycare centres should be run and managed, implying that these may have been violated.
