Capgemini blames daycare centre for abuse of toddlers, files complaint

More than a week after allegations of abuse surfaced at a daycare centre operating on its Bengaluru campus, Capgemini has filed a complaint with the HAL police against the operator. The IT company has accused Little Scholars of serious child safety failures and has sought criminal action against its management and staff.The complaint, submitted on July 7, will be added to the FIR already registered in the case, which is currently under investigation. Capgemini has sought action against the partners, promoters, directors and nannies associated with the third-party daycare provider under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.The complaint follows the circulation of videos allegedly showing toddlers being physically abused inside the daycare centre. Police have so far arrested two nannies, Vijayalakshmi and Sujatha. While Sujatha was initially believed to be the whistleblower, investigators later arrested her after alleging that she had recorded the videos to settle personal scores with the daycare manager.In its complaint, Capgemini alleged that Little Scholars had been entrusted with the care, custody and safety of employees' children but had failed to ensure even basic child protection measures.Capgemini's complaint alleged that Little Scholars and its employees subjected toddlers to physical assault, mental harassment and forcible disciplining. It also accused them of locking children inside rooms or toilets, pouring water on them, handling them roughly and recording unauthorised videos inside washrooms, causing physical pain and emotional distress.According to the complaint, the incidents reflected not isolated misconduct but a coordinated failure of supervision and safeguarding by the daycare operator. Capgemini alleged that Little Scholars failed to maintain adequate child protection protocols, staffing standards and operational controls despite assurances given while operating the facility on the company's Kundalahalli campus.The company further alleged that the daycare management demonstrated "systemic operational, compliance and supervisory failures" that resulted in both the alleged abuse and the unauthorised recording of minors. It also held daycare manager Manjula, who has been named as the first accused in the FIR and remains absconding, responsible for failing to supervise staff adequately.Capgemini said the incident had caused severe distress to parents, shaken employees' confidence in the facility entrusted with their children and damaged the company's reputation. It also stated that after the allegations surfaced, it issued a show cause notice to Little Scholars seeking an explanation. According to the complaint, the daycare operator neither responded to the notice nor visited the facility after the allegations became public.According to Times of India, Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh said police believe there was more to the case than initially appeared. Referring to Sujatha, who was first seen as a whistleblower but later arrested, the Commissioner said she had played an active role in the alleged offences.Stating that Sujatha had staged the recordings, Singh said there was "surely something wrong in the affairs of the daycare centre". "As the investigation goes on, we'll find (out) what was cooking, what went wrong and why," he told TOI.Police said they have questioned a nanny who allegedly assisted Sujatha in recording the videos and was aware that the footage was being filmed for a purpose other than reporting abuse. Investigators believe her statement will be important in establishing the sequence of events.Officials have also questioned a close associate of Sujatha who allegedly shared the videos with child helpline authorities. Police said they were trying to establish why Sujatha waited seven days before handing over the footage to authorities and why the videos were circulated to others before reaching investigators.