Bengaluru Police to look at other similar facilities after daycare centre horror

Bengaluru Police will look up facilities similar to the daycare centre, members of which have been accused of abusing the toddlers who were kept in their care. The daycare was operating inside Capgemini’s Brookefield campus, and five women staffers have since been booked. 

Commissioner of Police for Bengaluru City, Seemanth Kumar Singh, has said that the police is currently undergoing the complaint as well as the videos that were submitted as part of the complaint. He said that the police are verifying the facts. 

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“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. We will also look into other similar facilities to check whether they are operating as per rules and regulations. We will ask the concerned departments that received the complaint to provide a list of all such daycare units functioning in the area and verify whether they are authorised and following the guidelines,” he said, adding that the case has been taken up ‘earnestly’. 

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, he said, adding that the perpetrators will not escape accountability. 

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Meanwhile, an FIR has been registered against the five women employees of the daycare. The matter came to light after videos showed the abuse, and were widely shared on WhatsApp and on social media. The incident was reported to the Child Helpline. 

Police then received a complaint about videos showing caregivers threatening toddlers aged two to three years when they cried or caused disturbance. The complaint alleged that the women placed children inside a front-loading washing machine, made them sit in a western-style toilet, sprayed water into their mouths using a toilet jet spray, locked them inside bathrooms, and threatened them to keep quiet. Following the complaint, a case has been registered against the five women under relevant sections of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act.