Capgemini will reassess all daycare facilities across its India offices and has offered flexible work-from-home arrangements to affected employees after alleged child abuse at a daycare centre inside its Bengaluru campus triggered widespread outrage.
The IT services company in a statement said the daycare facility, operated by external provider Little Scholars, has been temporarily shut while authorities investigate the case.
"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 company said in a statement.
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Capgemini said all daycare providers undergo rigorous due diligence and compliance checks, adding that the facilities are an important part of its employee support programme.
The company said it has taken several steps over the past 48 hours, including temporarily closing the Bengaluru daycare, extending full cooperation to investigators, providing affected families with access to a helpline and counselling through its Employee Assistance Program, offering flexible work-from-home options, and initiating a review of all daycare providers across its India operations.
"We are committed to acting decisively to protect our employees and their families," the company said.
The statement comes after police arrested two caretakers, Manjula and Vijayalakshmi, in connection with the alleged abuse. Both have been remanded to 14 days of judicial custody. Investigators say they have found substantial evidence against the accused and are examining the role of the daycare management. The company's role is also under scrutiny.
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District Child Protection Officer Tilakesh Kumar told NDTV that between 50 and 60 children were enrolled at the centre, with 15 to 20 attending daily. He alleged the abuse had been taking place for a long time and claimed an earlier whistleblower was dismissed after reporting the incidents.
Authorities launched the investigation after videos surfaced allegedly showing children being subjected to abuse, including being placed inside washing machines with water sprayed on them and locked inside bathrooms. A complaint was subsequently filed through the children's helpline, following which police registered a case against five caregivers.
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