We have had progress in Ariha Shah case, temple visits arranged: MEA

New Delhi [India], September 6 (ANI): The government on Friday said that there has been progress in the matter concerning Ariha Shah, the Indian child under foster care in Germany, and it is doing several other things to ensure that her upbringing happens in a cultural environment that is conducive to her.

Answering queries during weekly briefing, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randeep Jaiswal said that the matter was raised when the German Foreign Minister was in the country.

“This was raised when the Foreign Minister of Germany was here. It was also raised when External Affairs Minister visited Germany. We have had progress in this matter. We will shortly give you more details on that. But to tell you that the government attaches high importance to this particular matter. We have had consular visits,” he said.

“The Embassy has been engaged with her, provided her books. We have arranged temple visits, and we are doing several other things to ensure that her upbringing happens in a cultural environment that is conducive to her, and for her full growth and development,” he added.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had raised the issue of Ariha Shah during his talks with German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul earlier this week.

“I raised the issue of Ariha Shah, an Indian child who has been in the foster care of German authorities for some time. I underlined to the minister that it is essential her cultural rights are ensured and that she grows up in Indian surroundings. This matter needs to be resolved without further delay, and we had some discussions on this today,” he said.

Ariha Shah was put under the custody of German foster care in September 2021, when she was seven months old, after her grandmother accidentally hurt her. Since then, she has remained in foster care in Germany,

The Indian government has consistently pursued the matter with German authorities, maintaining that the child’s linguistic, cultural, and social environment is crucial for her growth. (ANI)

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