India pressed Germany for the early return of Indian baby girl Ariha Shah, who has been in foster care in Berlin for nearly four years. The matter was taken up by external affairs minister S Jaishankar on Wednesday during talks with his Germany counterpart Johann Wadephul.
India has repeatedly urged Berlin to facilitate Ariha’s return, stressing that it is important for the child to grow up in her linguistic, religious, cultural and social environment.
Last year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, raised the issue with German chancellor Olaf Scholz during their bilateral meeting in New Delhi. At a briefing, foreign secretary Vikram Misri said that Scholz has assured that he is "very closely following" the issue.
According to PTI, at a joint media briefing with German foreign minister Johann Wadephul, Jaishankar said, “I raised the issue of Ariha Shah, an Indian child who has been in foster care of German authorities for some time. I underlined to the Minister that it is essential that her cultural rights are ensured and she grows up in Indian surroundings.”
“This matter needs to be resolved without further delay, and I think we have had some discussions today on that subject,” he added.
Who is Ariha Shah?
{{/usCountry}}“This matter needs to be resolved without further delay, and I think we have had some discussions today on that subject,” he added.
Who is Ariha Shah?
{{/usCountry}}Ariha’s father, Bhavesh Shah, a software engineer from Gujarat, had moved to Berlin with his wife Dhara in 2018. Their daughter was born in 2021. According to the family, Ariha sustained an accidental injury in her private area when she was seven months old.
When the baby was taken to the hospital, German authorities suspected sexual assault and placed her in foster care. The parents were allowed to meet her only once a fortnight.
Ariha Shah was taken into custody by German authorities on September 23, 2021, when she was seven months old. The Jugendamt (Youth Welfare Office) alleged that her parents had harassed her.
Charges dropped, custody case continues
Following India’s intervention, the German authorities dropped the sexual assault allegations but continued to hold the parents responsible for negligence. The cases were closed in February 2022 with no formal charges filed.
Despite this, Ariha was not returned to her parents. Jugendamt filed a civil custody case seeking termination of the couple’s parental rights and continuing Ariha’s placement in foster care.