“Allow Ariha to celebrate Indian Independence day in Germany”: Family stage protest

New Delhi [India]: Dhara Shah, mother of Ariha Shah, Indian baby in German foster care, held a demonstration on Friday at Jantar mantar demanding that German authorities allow Ariha to celebrate Independence Day with the Indian Community in Germany in order to protect her cultural rights.

Ariha’s family says they will go to the German embassy and request the German Ambassador that since the Indian Independence day is around the corner, Ariha should be allowed to celebrate the Independence day of her country. Dhara said that it is her cultural right and it needs to be preserved.

“We will go to the German embassy. We will request the German ambassador that 15th August is coming and every Indian has the right to celebrate it.

We will ask him to let Ariha celebrate the Indian independence day. She should not be deprived of her cultural identity,” Dhara Shah said while speaking to media.

“Our main motive to gather here is that Ariha has cultural rights and they should be preserved,” she added.

She said that in June this year, the court gave Ariha’s German child services.

“We are here to restore Ariha’s rights. She is an Indian citizen, she has linguistic and social rights which should be preserved,” she said.

“They told us yesterday that all visitation is closed because they have no one to pick and drop Ariha. They also returned the gifts we gave her during the previous visitation.

We don’t know where she is and in which condition. We are worried about her safety,” Dhara Shah said.

She also demanded that the Indian embassy should get consular access.

Earlier this week, the Ministry of External Affairs summoned the German Ambassador in connection with the case of Indian baby girl Ariha Shah who has been placed in foster care in Germany since September 2021 over allegations of parental abuse.

Marking this as a violation of the girl’s cultural and fundamental rights, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “We are giving high priority to this case… We have called the German Ambassador this week regarding this. We’ve asked the German authorities to bring back the child at the earliest. We are in touch with the German authorities.”

The child, Ariha Shah, was accidentally hurt by her grandmother in September 2021 following which the German authorities took the baby away. She is currently under German foster care. Since Baby Ariha’s family urged the authorities to look into their matter, the Indian Government has consistently raised the issue with the German authorities.

In June, CPI(M) MP John Brittas and 58 other members of Parliament belonging to 19 political parties signed a joint letter addressed to the German Ambassador to India for the repatriation of baby Ariha Shah to India.

Earlier, in this regard, Bagchi said that the MEA and the Embassy of India in Berlin have been persistently advocating for the return of Ariha Shah to India.

He said that the government has urged German authorities to do all that is necessary to send Ariha to India at the earliest, which is also her inalienable right as an Indian national.
“We remain committed to ensuring the return of Ariha Shah to India,” he added.

“India has a robust child welfare and protection system, and there are potential foster parents in India who are willing to bring up the child in her own socio-cultural milieu.

The German authorities have been made aware of India’s child protection system and the details of potential foster parents have also been shared with them.

Ariha’s continued placement in German foster care and infringement of her social, cultural and linguistic rights is of deep concern to the Government of India and the parents,” he added.