Indian Baby's Stay In German Foster Care Infringement Of Rights: Centre
NDTV
27-month-old Ariha Shah has been in the custody of German child services for over 20 months. 59 MPs and her mother have issued an appeal to German authorities for her return.
The case of Ariha Shah, a 27-month-old Indian girl who has been in the custody of Germany's Youth Welfare Office (Jugendamt) since September 2021, gathered momentum today with the Ministry of External Affairs urging German authorities to send her back to India at the earliest. 59 Members of Parliament from 19 parties also wrote to the German Ambassador today seeking Ariha's repatriation, and her mother appealed for intervention "at the PM level".
According to a PTI report, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde wrote a letter to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Thursday seeking his assistance in bringing Ariha back home.
Asked about Ariha at a press briefing today, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said her continued stay in the German foster care and "infringement" of her social, cultural and linguistic rights is of deep concern to the government of India and the parents.
"We would like to reiterate that Ariha Shah is an Indian national and her nationality and socio-cultural background is the most important determinant of where her foster care is to be provided," Mr Bagchi said.
