"Equal Party To Crime": Bengaluru Cops On Daycare Abuse Whistleblower

The Bengaluru police have defended the arrest of the woman whistleblower who recorded the alleged abuse of children by caregivers at the on-campus daycare inside the Capgemini technology park in the city, saying she was an "equal party" to the crime.

According to the police, there has been "enough evidence" against the whistleblower.

The whistleblower was arrested last week for circulating the horrifying clips of the abuse that showed children as young as two years old sitting inside the drum of a front-loading washing machine, with caregivers putting water from a jet spray on them. Another video showed the staff locking the children inside bathrooms.

The videos quickly went viral, prompting a police complaint and a separate complaint before the Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights.

Shortly after this, the daycare fired the whistleblower who exposed the alleged abuse.

"Something has gone wrong at the daycare center, 100 per cent. To what extent it went wrong, we are verifying. Legal procedures mandated under laws relating to juveniles were not followed after the incidents came to light...There had been a delay of several days in reporting the recorded evidence to the authorities," the police said.

The police have arrested two staff members, Vijayalakshmi and Manjula, in the case so far, as they have found substantial evidence against the two.

Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said the investigation is examining the roles and responsibilities of everyone connected to the case, including Capgemini, and action will be taken against anyone found guilty.

"So far, two people have been arrested. We have examined CCTV footage and conducted a detailed inquiry with parents, the company, and eyewitnesses. The investigation is still underway...It can be anybody from the company, the daycare agency, or anyone else. Whoever is found to have been involved will face action if found guilty," he said.

Capgemini seeks action

Days after videos allegedly showing abuse of children at a daycare facility inside Capgemini's Bengaluru campus surfaced, the company has formally approached the police seeking action against the agency operating the center.

In a complaint emailed to the HAL Police Station, Capgemini stated that it had entered into a contract with "Little Scholars" to run the daycare facility for the children of its employees. The agency had failed in its responsibilities and sought legal action against the agency and its management, the company alleged.

Police officials said no separate case will be registered on Capgemini's complaint, and it will be a part of the ongoing FIR registered in the case.