Police in the southern Indian city of Bangalore have arrested a nursery worker on charges of child abuse at a daycare center run for the children of employees of a major technology company.
The arrest came days after videos appeared online allegedly showing nursery workers assaulting and intimidating crying children by locking them in toilets and washing machines and spraying them with bidets.
Police have opened a case against five staff at the Capgemini nursery and say more arrests are likely.
Many corporates in India have started opening daycare centers on campuses to attract and retain talent, but the regulatory framework governing them remains weak.
Capgemini has temporarily closed its daycare centerexternal.
“Capgemini’s top priority is the health, safety and well-being of its employees and their families. We are fully cooperating with the relevant authorities and assisting them in their efforts to establish the facts,” the company said in a statement.
“As a precautionary measure, we are temporarily closing the day care center on the Bengaluru campus,” it added.
Unlike schools, which are governed by clearly defined rules, daycare centers in India operate under state rules, municipal rules, and local licensing requirements.
Their standards vary from state to state, and enforcement remains lax.
The recent incident came to light after an anonymous caller reportedly tipped off the city’s child welfare department that toddlers at a daycare on the Capgemini campus in Brookfield were allegedly being abused and shared videos of the abuse with authorities.
Tilakesh Kumar, a child welfare officer, investigated the complaint and found that the alleged abuse took place in a toilet where there was no CCTV camera.
Based on Kumar’s complaint, police registered a case under sections of the Indian Penal Code and the Juvenile Justice Act against five employees of the institution.
Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh told BBC Hindi that the arrested accused was Vijayalakshmi and that she has been sent to judicial custody.
Another police officer, who wished to remain anonymous, told the BBC that two other carers were questioned on Thursday in connection with the incident.
Karnataka Home Minister Priyank Kharge said the government is looking into the matter and that action will be taken against those found guilty of flouting the rules.
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights is also investigating the case and plans to visit the kindergarten on Friday.