New Delhi:Indian officials in Berlin celebrated Diwali last month with baby girl Ariha Shah, who has been living in a foster care in the German capital for over two years. Ariha was placed in the custody of Germany's Youth Welfare Office (Jugendamt) on September 23, 2021 after the then seven-month-old baby suffered an accidental injury. She has been in foster care since then.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on Friday said consular access was given to the child in the second week of last month and that Indian embassy officials celebrated Diwali with her. India has been pressing for her early return to India arguing that it is important for the child to be in her linguistic, religious, cultural and social environment.
"This is an important issue. We continue to monitor it... We had consular access. We were able to share with the child items to ensure the immersion of the child in Indian culture as well as continued efforts to ensure that her rights are protected," Bagchi said at his weekly media briefing. He was replying to a question on Ariha.
"We have been working towards cultural immersion of the child and resource materials relating to Indian festivals, customs and practices were handed over to the German authorities," Bagchi said. "We remain in constant engagement with the German authorities to safeguard the child's cultural, national identity and rights and to ensure her return to India," he said.