A day after the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) claimed that BYJU'S is allegedly buying phone numbers of children and their parents, the EdTech company on Wednesday, December 21 strongly refuted the allegation. 

It said in a statement, "We do not need to and we never make cold calls or unscheduled walk-in visits," as stated in a report by The New Indian Express. On Tuesday, December 20, the NCPCR claimed that the EdTech firm is rigorously following parents and children and threatening them that their future will be ruined. "They (Byju's) are targeting first-generation learners. We will initiate action and if need be will make a report and write to the government," NCPCR chairperson Priyank Kanoongo told a news agency, as per the TNIE report. 

BYJU'S called it a "baseless and unsubstantiated allegation." The EdTech company, which has over 150 million registered students, said, "We do not need to buy or use external databases. We emphasize that our lead pipeline comprises exclusively of our app users, walk-ins and incoming requests for consultation." It added that the company is ranked at number 19 in the coveted Kantar list of India's most trusted brands. "We strongly refute any allegation that indicates otherwise," it said. 

Last week, the commission asked the EdTech firm's CEO Byju Raveendran to appear before it on December 23 over alleged malpractice of hard selling and mis-selling of courses for students. 

Not the first controversy

This is not the first time the EdTech company has landed in a controversy. Earlier in October, BYJU'S said an incorrect map of India that is circulating on the internet has been wrongly attributed to the company. In July, the Consumers Affairs department had raised concerns about BYJU'S hard and mis-selling practices. Member of Parliament Karti P Chidambaram in July wrote to the Serious Fraud Investigation Office (SFIO), a fraud regulator, urging them to launch an investigation into the finances of the EdTech behemoth.