Frankfurt: Indian community in Frankfurt, Germany held protests against the injustice happening with Indian baby Ariha in Germany. Despite heavy rain, they stood strong, demanding repatriation of Ariha Shah and asking Indian PM Narendra Modi to get her released from German custody care, where she is languishing away from her parents.
It is learnt the criminal investigation was closed without charges in February 2022 but the baby has still not been returned. Berlin Child Services has filed a civil custody case for the parental rights to be terminated. Parents fear this case may take 2-3 years, as a trial date has still not been fixed in the court.
The parents are fighting the case in Germany but fear that Child Services are dragging it out in order to take advantage of the “continuity principle” of child law under which if a child has spent a significant time with the state-appointed outfit, it is said to be settled there and should not be shifted back to the parents, even if they are found to be fit.
The German child services are completely insensitive to the baby’s cultural and religious identity, insisting on a meat diet for her though she comes from an observant Jain family. They say they plan to have her adopted to a German family. This is a violation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child to which both India and Germany are party.
For these reasons, the parents are asking for the baby to be repatriated to India and placed with the maternal family or a Jain family under the care and responsibility of Indian child welfare authorities. This has been done with Indian children in foster care in Norway, the USA and other countries
Saturday’s protests in Frankfrut, you have won d hearts of Millions of Indians देशकी बेटी के लिए आप का ये संघर्ष, इतिहास के पन्नो पर सुवर्णरूप से अंकित होने वाला है।
Yatin Shah a local NRI activist has thanked supporters for the cause. Thousands of messages were flashed on Twitter by the supporters, around the European Continent. (Credits for feed below – @Twitter).
https://twitter.com/i/status/1680579198421704706
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