A cause that has united BJP with the Opposition

| TIMESOFINDIA.COM | Jun 5, 2023, 08:45 IST

An appeal

Fifty-nine MPs from 19 political parties have written to the German ambassador to India seeking his intervention in ensuring the return of an Indian baby girl who was taken away from her parents by the German authorities in September 2021.
The letter has been endorsed by MPs cutting across party lines. They included Hema Malini (BJP), Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury (Congress), Supriya Sule (NCP), Kanimozhi Karunanidhi (DMK), Mahua Moitra (TMC), Agatha Sangma (NPP), Harsimrat Kaur Badal (SAD), Maneka Gandhi (BJP), Praneet Kaur (Congress), Shashi Tharoor (Congress) and Farooq Abdullah (NC).

What’s the case?

The German child welfare agency Jugendamt took custody of Ariha Shah, when she was seven months old, alleging that the parents harassed her. The family lived in Berlin, where the girl's father was employed.
Ariha was taken away from her parents after the child had reportedly suffered an accidental injury in the perineum while playing with a toy for which she was hospitalised in September 2021.
An investigation was instituted against her parents for child sexual abuse.
In February 2022, the police case was closed without any charges against the parents. The hospital too issued a report ruling out sexual abuse.
Despite that, the baby was not returned to her parents and the Jugendamt pressed for permanent custody of the child in the German courts. The Jugendamt – a German local agency set up to promote the welfare of children – has held that the Indian parents are incapable of looking after their own baby who will be better off in German foster care.
As they undergo "evaluation" sessions by a court-appointed psychologist, parents of the girl have been frequenting between the two countries for more than a year now.

A bilateral issue

India on June 2 urged Germany to send her back home “at the earliest” since this is her inalienable right as an Indian citizen.
The case has become an issue in bilateral relations and it was raised by India during German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock’s visit to New Delhi in December 2022.

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Vasudeva Rao

576 days ago

Still the soul of Hitler is ruling Gemany

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