Indian diplomats in Germany received a “consular visit” last month with ‘Baby Ariha Shah’, the two-year-old child who has been taken into parental custody by German Youth Services in September 2021, the government revealed, although the child’s parents say they are being denied visitation rights with her. Germany’s Ambassador to India said a resolution of the issue is unlikely to happen “very soon”.
Ariha was taken from her parents Dhara and Bhavesh Shah in 2021 by the ‘Jugendamt’ or youth services, after she was brought to a hospital in Berlin with what they called “grievous” injuries. While a German court has since ruled it as evidence of deliberate abuse, the parents have consistently denied the charge, explaining the injuries as accidental. New Delhi, that says the German court decision is a violation of Ariha Shah’s “cultural rights”, has been pushing for the repatriation of Ariha Shah, who is an Indian citizen, offering to ensure foster care for her in India, said that Indian Embassy officials were able to meet her on August 31.
“Resource material relating to Indian festivals, customs and practices were handed over by our embassy with the expectation that the child’s caregivers would incorporate these into her routine to enable the child to remain in touch with her faith and culture,” said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi in response to a question on Thursday. “We remain in constant engagement with German authorities to safeguard the child’s cultural rights, her national identity and to ensure her return to India,” he added.
