Bengaluru Police Commissioner Seemant Kumar Singh on Thursday assured strict action against those responsible for the alleged abuse of toddlers at a daycare centre inside an IT company campus here and said authorities would verify whether similar facilities were operating in compliance with prescribed norms.
An FIR has been registered against five women employees of the daycare centre inside Capgemini's Brookefield campus for allegedly physically abusing toddlers.
Singh said police had registered the case immediately after learning about the incident and described the allegations as a "very serious issue".
"We are examining the complaint and the videos submitted as evidence. The Joint Commissioner of Police, East, and the DCP in charge of Whitefield are currently at the location verifying the facts," he told reporters.
He said the police would also examine other daycare centres to ascertain whether they were authorised and operating in accordance with local rules and prescribed guidelines.
"We have asked the concerned department that filed the complaint to provide us with a list of all such daycare units and whether they are authorised and following the prescribed guidelines," he said.
A woman police officer of Deputy Commissioner rank has been deputed to investigate the case.
"More than immediate arrests, our priority is to ensure that the perpetrators do not escape. If anyone has supported them, or if this has been happening for a long time, all such acts will be brought to light. No one will be spared," Singh said.
He added that the purported videos were being verified while CCTV footage and other technical evidence were being examined.
The incident came to light after videos purportedly showing the abuse were circulated on WhatsApp and reported to the Child Helpline.
In a statement, Capgemini said it had temporarily closed its Bengaluru on-campus daycare facility as a precautionary measure.
"The health, safety and wellbeing of our employees and their families remain our foremost priority. We are cooperating fully with the relevant authorities and assisting them in their efforts to establish the facts," the company said.
Police said the purported videos showed children crying while being subjected to physical abuse by caregivers.
According to police, the videos showed caregivers threatening toddlers aged between two and three years whenever they cried or caused a disturbance.
The complaint alleged that the women put children inside a front-loading washing machine, made them sit in a western-style toilet, sprayed water into their mouths using a toilet jet spray, locked them inside bathrooms and threatened them into remaining quiet.