The alleged abuse of toddlers at a daycare centre operating inside Capgemini’s Brookefield campus in Bengaluru has prompted Karnataka authorities to introduce stricter safety measures for childcare facilities. The Karnataka State Commission for Protection of Child Rights (KSCPCR) has announced plans to make CCTV cameras with live streaming access for parents mandatory at all daycare centres in the city.
In response to the controversy surrounding the Little Scholars daycare centre, the KSCPCR has decided to undertake a comprehensive review of daycare facilities across Bengaluru. Commission Chairperson Santosh Kumar said the body will soon begin mapping all daycare centres and formulate a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) outlining minimum safety standards.
The proposed guidelines are expected to mandate CCTV surveillance systems with live access for parents, enabling them to remotely monitor their children while they are at daycare. The SOP will also require centres to maintain first-aid facilities and adopt other child protection measures aimed at ensuring the safety and well-being of children.
Allegations of Abuse Spark Action
The move comes after allegations surfaced that toddlers who cried at the Little Scholars daycare centre were allegedly locked inside a bathroom as a form of punishment. The daycare centre operates within the Capgemini campus in Brookefield, Bengaluru.
According to the KSCPCR, the Child Helpline received a complaint regarding the incident on the night of June 25. Following the complaint, a police case was registered and officials from the state commission conducted an inspection of the facility.
A team from the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) also visited the daycare centre as part of an ongoing inquiry into the allegations.
Second Nanny Arrested in the Case
The investigation took a new turn on Saturday when police arrested a second nanny employed at the daycare centre. The woman, a resident of Kolar district, had worked at the facility for nearly three years and was reportedly serving her notice period after being terminated over alleged negligence.
Interestingly, she was initially considered a whistleblower in the case. However, investigators later booked her for allegedly recording videos of children under suspicious circumstances, sharing the footage with private individuals and deleting videos from her mobile phone.
Police said the nanny provided contradictory explanations regarding when and why the videos were recorded, raising concerns that some of the footage may have been selectively filmed or staged.
She was produced before a local court, which remanded her to 14 days of judicial custody. She has since been lodged at the Central Prison in Parappana Agrahara.
Earlier Arrest in the Case
The latest arrest follows the detention of a 55-year-old nanny on Friday. She was arrested for allegedly locking a girl toddler inside a bathroom at the daycare centre.
The incident has sparked widespread concern among parents and child rights activists, highlighting the absence of a robust regulatory framework governing daycare facilities in the city.
Officials believe the proposed regulations will improve transparency and accountability in daycare operations. The introduction of live CCTV access is expected to provide parents with greater oversight while also acting as a deterrent against misconduct.
The Bengaluru case has reignited discussions on the need for stricter licensing norms, periodic inspections and uniform safety standards for childcare centres, particularly those operating within corporate campuses.
As investigations continue, authorities are expected to finalise the new guidelines in the coming weeks, potentially setting a new benchmark for daycare safety and monitoring across Karnataka.
