Foreign secretary Vikram Misri said that German PM Olaf Scholz has assured that he is “very closely following” the Ariha shah case.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday held a bilateral meeting with German chancellor Olaf Scholz in New Delhi.source mudassarworld news.
During the meeting, the two leaders discussed the case of Ariha Shah, a three-year-old Indian girl who has been in foster care in Germany.
At a briefing, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said that Scholz has assured that he is “very closely following” the issue.
“The case has been followed very, very closely by us. Our embassy in Berlin has taken it up. When the external affairs minister was in Germany a few weeks ago, he had raised it very strongly with his counterpart,” Misri was quoted as saying by PTI.
“Yes, I can confirm that it was raised during the meeting today as well. We have at all levels impressed upon the German side that an Indian child growing up in an environment that is not hers — cultural, religious, linguistic environment — is somewhat unnatural and that this situation needs to be addressed,” he added.
Who is Ariha Shah and what is the case about?
Bhavesh Shah, a software engineer from Gujarat, had moved to Berlin with his wife, Dhara Shah, in 2018. In 2021, the couple welcomed a baby, whom they named Ariha.
According to the family, Germany Shah case when Ariha was seven months old, she sustained an accidental injury around her private area.
When Ariha was taken to the hospital, they alerted German authorities, who suspected the case to be a case of sexual assault.
The bay was placed in the custody of Germany’s Jugendamt or Youth Welfare Office. Her parents were only allowed to visit once every fortnight.
Upon the family’s request for intervention, the Indian government has continuously discussed the matter with German authorities. The baby’s continued presence in foster care has become an irritant in bilateral relations.
Subsequently, German authorities dropped the assault charges, but they still held her parents accountable for negligence. The cases against the parents were dropped in February 2022 and no formal charges were filed.
However, Ariha was still not returned to her parents, and a civil custody case was filed by Jugendamt to terminate parental rights as it sought Ariha’s custody.
India has pressed Germany on the early return of the baby, saying it is important for the child to be in her linguistic, religious, cultural and social environment.
In December last year, foreign minister S Jaishankar said India has concerns that baby Ariha should be in her linguistic, religious, cultural and social environment. “Our embassy is pursuing this with German authorities. It was a subject which I brought up with the Minister,” the EAM said.
Where is Ariha Shah now?
Ariha Shah has been in foster care in Germany since September 23, 2021 – when she was barely seven months old. At the time, German authorities had alleged that Ariha’s parents – Dhara and Bhavesh – had abused her.
What is the story of Baby Ariha?
After Ariha was taken into foster care, her parents were only allowed to visit once every fortnight. German authorities also filed a case of child sexual abuse against her parents. While the German authorities dropped the assault charges, they still held her parents accountable for negligence.
Who is the Indian child in foster care in Germany?
This is what has happened to Germany Indian baby Baby Ariha Shah, an innocent little girl from India who has been living in German foster care for over three long years. Recently, her parents lost the custody battle in the higher court, and now the case is no longer subjudice. The custody of Ariha is now with German child services.
