Capgemini shuts down campus daycare centre in Bengaluru after child abuse allegations surface; 5 nannies booked

BENGALURU: IT major Capgemini has announced the immediate temporary closure of a daycare facility operating on its Bengaluru campus following allegations of physical abuse of children. The facility was being run by an external operator, ‘Little Scholars’.

The company stated that the safety and well-being of children remain its highest priority and that it is fully cooperating with law enforcement while providing support to the affected families. In a statement, the company said the daycare facility was operated by an external provider, Little Scholars, and that the matter was being treated with the utmost seriousness.

“At Capgemini, the safety and wellbeing 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. We are extending all our support to them”, the statement said.

The company said its daycare providers undergo rigorous due diligence and compliance checks, adding that the facilities are intended to support employees who entrust their children to these centres. Detailing the steps taken following the incident, Capgemini said it had temporarily closed the Bengaluru daycare facility pending a review, extended full cooperation to the authorities conducting the investigation, and put in place support measures for affected families.

“While the authorities conduct their investigation, we have taken a number of concrete actions in the last 48 hours: immediate temporary closure of this daycare facility in Bengaluru pending review; full cooperation with the authorities to clarify the facts and support efforts to hold those responsible accountable; and support for affected families, including access to a helpline, dedicated counselling through our Employee Assistance Program, and flexible work-from-home options”, the company said.

Capgemini also said it was reviewing its daycare operations across its facilities in India and reiterated its commitment to taking decisive action to protect its employees and their families.

The developments follow the circulation of videos online that allegedly depict children being mistreated at the centre. Taking swift action, the HAL Police have registered a case against five nannies identified as Manjula, Vijayalakshmi, Bhavani, Sindhu, and Bindu. The accused have been booked under the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act and Section 351 (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

The incident has sparked outrage and renewed calls for stricter oversight in corporate childcare environments. Dr Bhavna Barmi, a senior clinical child psychologist and founder of Happiness Studio, stressed that organisations must deploy multi-level assessment systems when selecting caregivers. “Thorough background verification and reference checks must evaluate behavioural attributes like patience, empathy, and crisis-handling skills,” she noted, adding that formal training in child safeguarding policies should be mandatory.

Meanwhile, Shashi Kumar, General Secretary of the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, termed the incident “unfortunate and condemnable.” He pointed out structural flaws in regulatory enforcement, blaming the state’s Education Department. “According to the 2018 Education Act, every pre-primary school must be registered. If they are not registered, they are not held accountable. The lapse lies in inadequate enforcement of these existing laws,” Kumar added.

Police investigations are ongoing to determine the full extent of the abuse and ensure accountability. (ANI)