Caregiver arrested after toddler abuse at Capgemini daycare in Brookefield

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has taken suo motu cognisance of media reports alleging that toddlers were subjected to inhuman and physical abuse by caregivers at a daycare centre operating inside the Capgemini campus in Brookefield, Bengaluru. Following the disclosure of the incident, the HAL Police arrested a 50-year-old caregiver, identified as Vijayalakshmi, on Thursday, while the IT firm has shut down the facility.

The NHRC has issued formal notices to both the Karnataka Chief Secretary and the Karnataka Director General of Police, directing them to submit a detailed report on the incident within two weeks.

According to the NHRC, the alleged abuse first came to light after a Child Helpline official received videos. The footage purportedly showed caregivers ill-treating the toddlers. The parents of the victims, who are employed at the Capgemini IT campus, had left their children at the crib during their working hours.

The HAL police have registered an FIR against five caregivers for allegedly abusing the children, who are aged between two and three years. While Vijayalakshmi, a native of Bangarapet in Kolar district, was arrested on Thursday, police are still actively probing the role of the four other women caregivers named in the FIR.

Vijayalakshmi was produced before a court on Friday, which remanded her to judicial custody. During her interrogation, the accused caregiver allegedly told investigators that the toddlers’ constant crying and disruptive behaviour prompted her to act in such a manner, according to the police.

The HAL police are also in the process of verifying the videos and other evidence associated with the case as they investigate the actions of the other four caregivers.

Following the incident, the IT firm Capgemini shut down the daycare facility on its campus. The company has stated that it is cooperating fully with the authorities in the ongoing investigation.