- India summoned the German ambassador and sought the early return of Ariha Shah, a two-year-old Indian girl who has been in foster care in Berlin for more than 20 months.
- According to the media, Ariha was taken to a hospital in Germany by her parents after she was accidentally hurt by her grandparent.
- Suspecting it to be a case of sexual assault, the German authorities took away the baby from her parents on 23 September 2021 when she was just seven months old.
- The parents of Ariha hail from Mumbai.
India summoned German ambassador Philipp Ackermann this week and sought the early return of Ariha Shah, a two-year-old Indian girl who has been in foster care in Berlin for more than 20 months. Shah was placed in the custody of Germany’s Youth Welfare Office in September 2021 after she sustained an accidental injury. Her continued presence in foster care has become an irritant in bilateral relations.
External affairs ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said India accords high priority to the case. “We have also asked for the early return of the child to India. We will continue to press the German authorities on this matter,” he said.
What is the case?
According to the media, Ariha was taken to a hospital in Germany by her parents after she was accidentally hurt by her grandparent. The injury was on the child’s “external perennial area or the outer genital area”, reported a leading news agency.
Suspecting it to be a case of sexual assault, the German authorities took away the baby from her parents on 23 September 2021 when she was just seven months old. Ariha has been living in foster care since then, with her parents being allowed a visit once every 15 to 20 days, reported the media.
After an investigation, assault charges were dropped but her parents, Dhara and Bhavesh Shah, were accused of negligence. While the case was closed without charges, the baby was not returned to her parents, as per the media report. Moreover, Berlin Child Services also filed a civil custody case for the termination of parental rights. The proceedings have started in the case.
What has the government done?
India has raised the issue with Germany several times, calling for the return of the child. In its latest statement, the MEA said: “Our efforts have been guided by the best interests of the child, which we believe can be fully realized only when she is in her home country where her socio-cultural rights can be safeguarded. Accordingly, we have been requesting Germany to return the child to India. The Embassy has repeatedly requested German authorities to ensure that Ariha’s connection with her cultural, religious, and linguistic background is not compromised and sought consular access to the child as well as cultural immersion at the Indian Cultural Centre in Berlin”, reported a news agency.
MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said the embassy and foreign ministry were in contact with Ariha’s parents and the German authorities. Following Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in February, foreign secretary Vinay Kwatra had said New Delhi is closely pursuing the case with Berlin.
The parents have returned to India to make their case. Their German visa will expire in the next two months and they fear losing Ariha’s custody forever, if the case is not expedited, her mother Dhara told News18. Bhavesh, a software developer, moved to Germany in 2018 on a work visa. His child was born in Berlin in February 2021. With the baby being placed in foster care for more than 20 months now, several petitions have started to ‘save Ariha’.
(With inputs from agencies)
