West Bengal: Jain Community Members Hold Silent Protest Outside German Consulate Demanding Repatriation Of Baby Ariha

Members of the Jain community staged a silent protest in Kolkata on Sunday for the repatriation of two-year-old Ariha Shah from Germany to India.

Jain community members staged a protest outside German Consulate for the repatriation of two-year-old Ariha Shah. ( Image Source :ANI )

New Delhi: Members of the Jain community staged a silent protest in Kolkata on Sunday for the repatriation of two-year-old Ariha Shah from Germany to India. The baby girl has been in foster care in Berlin for over 21 months.

Several members of the Jain community gathered outside the German Embassy in Kolkata to stage a peaceful protest demanding the repatriation of Ariha who has been in foster care in Germany since September 23, 2021.

VIDEO | Silent protest by Jain community outside the German Embassy in Kolkata demanding the repatriation of two-year-old Ariha Shah from Germany to India. The baby girl has been living in foster care in Berlin for over 21 months. pic.twitter.com/LTBRZzL3cc

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In December last year, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had raised the issue with his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock.

Earlier, on July 15, around 150 to 200 Indians had gathered in Frankfurt city of Germany to stage a protest highlighting the violation of Ariha’s cultural rights and rejection of the Indian government’s appeal.

Ariha is a child of Indian heritage and is at the centre of an ongoing custody battle.

In June, Dhara Shah, Ariha mother said that she trusted the Government of India adding that if there will be a Prime Minister-level intervention in the case then her daughter can return to India.

While talking to ANI, mother Dhara Shah said,” Our child has been separated from us for the past 20 months. I trust the Indian government and I request that once there is PM-level intervention in the case then my daughter will return soon.”

In this regard, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi had said that the MEA and the Embassy of India in Berlin have been persistently advocating for the return of Ariha Shah to India.

Earlier speaking to reporters, Ariha’s mother had said that the child was accidentally hurt by her grandmother in September 2021 following which the German authorities took her away.