India summoned German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann this week and pressed for the return of an Indian baby girl, Ariha Shah, who has been living in foster care in Berlin for over 20 months.
Ariha, who was seven-month-old back then, was placed in the custody of Germany’s Youth Welfare Office (Jugendamt) on September 23, 2021, after she suffered an accidental injury. She has been in foster care since then, PTI reported.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said Ackerman was summoned earlier this week on the Ariha issue. Bagchi said India accords high priority to the case. “We believe that at a minimum, the child’s cultural rights and her rights as an Indian are being infringed upon by her being placed under German foster care,” he told a weekly media briefing.
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India has been maintaining that it is important for the child to be in her linguistic, religious, cultural and
social environment, PTI reported.
German authorities have said the child was placed in foster care after her Indian parents allegedly harassed her.
In December 2022, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also conveyed concerns over the girl to his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock.