Whistleblower Nanny Arrested in Bengaluru Daycare Torture Case

A whistleblower nanny was arrested in Bengaluru's daycare torture case.

BENGALURU: Why was the whistleblower in the daycare horror case arrested by city police at lighting speed — within days of the case coming to light — and sent to jail? This is the question doing the rounds following the arrest of Sujatha, the nanny who video-recorded and made public the alleged torture of toddlers inside the daycare centre operated by Little Scholars on the Capgemini campus in Brookefield area. Sujatha’s arrest, which is the second after the arrest of 55-year-old nanny Vijayalakshmi in the case, had raised questions about the safety net around whistleblowers. Sujatha, currently in 14-day judicial custody and lodged at Bengaluru Central Jail, was arrested Saturday on charges of torturing children, intentionally locking them in the creche bathroom, and making videos of the toddlers in distress. “Police should not have arrested Sujatha, who exposed the alleged harassment and ill-treatment. If she was arrested for leaking videos, then how will any common man dare to volunteer himself or herself into similar acts in future?” is the foremost question among concerned citizens. As per police investigation, Sujatha, 45, had differences with fellow nannies and her supervisor. She allegedly decided to teach them a lesson by shooting videos of toddlers being allegedly ill-treated at the daycare centre. “While there is video evidence of Vijayalakshmi locking a 2.5-year-old kid inside the bathroom, Sujatha, too, has committed a similar act,” a police officer said. City police commissioner Seemanth Kumar Singh told TOI Sujatha’s primary aim was to put the other nannies in trouble. Releasing videos was not on her mind. “She (Sujatha) recorded videos on June 22 and handed them to the child helpline centre on June 29. Why was there a delay of seven days if toddlers’ welfare was her primary objective? Why did she share the videos of the toddlers with a third person, violating rules of the Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015?” Kumar asked. Deputy commissioner of police Mohammad Sujeetha, who led the investigation, found several grounds to arrest Sujatha, the officer added. More interrogations of daycare staff The daycare (administrative) officials have been served notices. They are yet to be interrogated. Sujatha was removed from the job based on complaints from other nannies and supervisor on the grounds of frequent quarrels, said DCP Sujeetha.