New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs is actively working to secure the early return of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl from Thane district who has been in foster care in Germany for the past 36 months following allegations of minor physical abuse, according to local MP Naresh Mhaske.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar has assured Mhaske that the government is expediting the legal processes necessary to bring the girl, Ariha, back to India. Ariha’s parents, Bhavesh and Dhara Shah, who reside in Mira Bhayander in Thane district and are currently in Germany, have been granted the right to meet their daughter twice a month, Mhaske said in a statement released on Thursday.
After the Thane MP raised the issue in Parliament earlier this month, Jaishankar wrote to him, outlining the efforts being made by the ministry. As a result of these interventions, the German Youth Welfare Authorities decided not to appeal court orders that granted visitation rights to the parents, Jaishankar noted in his letter dated August 16.
“The matter has been raised with the German side at all levels, including personally by myself with my German counterpart, where I emphasized that the long-term welfare of Ariha can only be ensured when she is brought up in her own socio-cultural environment in India,” Jaishankar wrote.
The letter also mentioned that the Ministry of External Affairs and embassy officials in Berlin are working to ensure that Ariha is introduced to Indian culture. They are sharing resources on Jainism, Indian festivals, and cultural and religious traditions with a request that the foster parent utilize these resources appropriately. Embassy officials have taken Ariha to Indian temples twice, and efforts are underway to arrange for her to learn Gujarati or Hindi.
“Pursuant to court orders, the parents have been granted visitation rights twice a month with the child, and the time for these visits has also been recently increased by the courts. In addition, the German side has been granting regular consular access for our embassy officials to visit the child,” the Foreign Minister stated.
Jaishankar assured Mhaske that the government would continue to make every possible effort to bring the child back to India. He emphasized the importance of handling this sensitive case with appropriate discretion, noting that the diplomatic efforts are ongoing and consistent.
