Bengaluru daycare horror: IT firm offers Work-from-home, counselling to employees as probe continues
As Bengaluru police continue their probe into the alleged abuse of toddlers at the daycare centre at Capgemini, the IT firm said it has temporarily
As Bengaluru police continue their probe into the alleged abuse of toddlers at the daycare centre at Capgemini, the IT firm said it has temporarily shut the centre and extended work-from-home option to its employees as part of several measures taken to support affected families. In its statement, Capgemini said while the authorities conduct their investigation, "we have taken a number of concrete actions in the last 48 hours." The include 1. Immediate temporary closure of this daycare facility in Bengaluru pending review 2. Extend our full cooperation to the authorities to clarify the facts and support that those responsible are held accountable 3. Provide support to affected families, including access to a helpline facility, dedicated counselling through our Employee Assistance Program, and flexible work from home options Also Read | IT Giant Capgemini Shuts Daycare After Shocking Abuse Allegations "At Capgemini, the safety and well-being of every child remain our highest priority. The situation reported at the daycare facility in Bengaluru, operated by the external provider Little Scholars, is being treated with the utmost seriousness.
Our first thoughts are with the children and their families," the company's statement read. The company said it is extending all support to the affected family. "Our daycare providers are subject to rigorous due diligence and compliance checks," it added. "These facilities support our employees, who entrust their children to these centres. This is an important part of our commitment to our team members," Capgemini said. "We are reassessing all of our daycare providers across all of our facilities in India. We are committed to acting decisively to protect our employees and their families," the company said. What's the case? According to police, the purported videos showed caregivers threatening toddlers, aged between two and three years old, when they cried or caused disturbance. It is alleged that the women put children inside a front-loading washing machine, made them sit on a western-style toilet, sprayed water into their mouths using a toilet jet spray, locked them inside bathrooms, and threatened them into keeping quiet.
According to PTI, police arrested two nannies of a daycare centre run on the campus of an IT firm here for the alleged abuse of toddlers. Police sources said Manjula and Vijayalakshmi were arrested after an FIR was registered following the videos of the alleged abuse going viral. The investigating officer said they were identified during the video verification process, leading to their arrest. They were produced in court, which remanded them to 14 days' judicial custody. Commenting on the incident and the subsequent arrest, Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said the state has zero tolerance for such incidents. He said the incident is not only about affecting the reputation of that company but also the 'Brand Bengaluru'. "We have already sought clarification from the company through our department," the minister told reporters here. He added that such large and reputed companies have their own policies, which are not limited to India but are global standards. "They are expected to function according to those policies-how creches should be run, how nurseries should be managed, and how daycare centres should operate," Priyank said.