The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) is making efforts to push for an early return of a three-and-a-half-year-old girl from Thane district, who has been in foster care in Germany for the past 36 months following allegations of minor physical abuse, local MP Naresh Mhaske has said.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has assured him that the government is expediting legal processes to secure the return of the girl, Ariha. Her parents, who are currently in Germany, can now meet their daughter twice a month, said Mhaske in a release on Thursday.

Ariha’s parents Bhavesh and Dhara Shah are residents of Mira Bhayander in Thane district.

After the Thane MP raised the matter in Parliament earlier this month, the foreign minister wrote to him detailing the efforts being made through his ministry.

It was as a result of "our" intervention that the German Youth Welfare Authorities decided against appealing the court orders granting visitation for the parents, Jaishankar said in his letter dated August 16.

“The matter has been raised with the German side at all levels, including personally by myself with my German counterpart where I emphasized that the long-term welfare of Ariha can only be ensured when she is brought up in her own socio-cultural environment in India,” wrote Jaishankar.

The MEA and embassy officials in Berlin are trying to ensure that the toddler is introduced to Indian culture and familiarised with the elements of the cultural environment of her original upbringing by sharing resources on Jainism, Indian festivals, and cultural and religious traditions with a request that the foster parent may use these resources appropriately, the letter said.

Ariha has been taken to Indian temples twice by embassy officials and efforts are being made to work out an arrangement under which she can be taught Gujarati/Hindi, he wrote.

“Pursuant to court orders, the parents have been granted visitation rights twice a month with the child (the time for which has also been increased recently by the courts) In addition, the German side has also been granting regular consular access for our Embassy officials to visit the child,” the foreign minister said.

He has assured Mhaske that the government will continue to make all possible efforts to bring the child to India.

“It is important to note that this case centers around a minor girl child, and the aforementioned diplomatic efforts are all being undertaken in a consistent and continuous manner by the Ministry of External Affairs. I also hope that you would appreciate the sensitivities surrounding this case and handle the matter with appropriate discretion,” added the letter.

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