The story so far: An ongoing custody battle for a two-year-old girl separated from her Indian parents in Germany two years ago has triggered a diplomatic spat between India and Germany. In response to renewed appeals from baby Ariha’s parents earlier this month, the government expressed its “dismay” over the treatment and “infringement” of the toddler’s social, cultural and linguistic rights in German foster care for over 20 months, while calling on Germany to repatriate the child at the earliest. The Centre also rejected claims that Germany had tried to identify an Indian family to provide foster care of the child pending a court verdict, terming such reports an “attempt to obfuscate the issue”.
What is the case?
Software engineer Bhavesh Shah moved to Berlin with his wife Dhara Shah in 2018 and had a baby girl a few years later. In September 2021, baby Ariha Shah was barely seven months old when she was taken away from her parents by German authorities on charges that she was abused at home.
