MP Naresh Mhaske of Thane raised a critical issue in Parliament today, advocating for the return of a 3.5-year-old girl, Ariha Shah, from Thane, who has been held in a German foster care facility for the past 36 months. The German authorities took the girl away from her parents, Bhavesh and Dhara Shah, originally from Mira Bhayandar in Thane, over allegations of minor physical abuse, which the parents have denied. Despite ongoing legal battles, the parents have been unable to regain custody of their daughter.
The child's parents, Bhavesh and Dhara Shah, originally from the Mira Bhayandar area in Thane, have been residing in Germany for work. Their daughter Ariha was taken into custody by German authorities when she was just seven months old, following accusations of minor physical harm. MP Mhaske informed the Parliament that despite no conclusive evidence of abuse being found during police investigations, the German Youth Welfare Office (Jugendamt) has refused to return Ariha to her family.
Ariha has been in foster care for 36 months, and since September 2021, her parents have been engaged in a legal struggle to bring her back home. Expressing concern over the lack of support they have received, MP Mhaske urged the Indian government to intervene and facilitate discussions with the German authorities to ensure Ariha's return to India.
Adding to the urgency of the matter, MP Mhaske highlighted that Ariha, who belongs to a Jain family, is reportedly being given non-vegetarian food, which goes against her Jain beliefs, causing distress to the Jain community.
Representatives of the Jain community, along with the child's parents, met with MP Mhaske in Delhi, appealing for justice and seeking the Indian government's intervention. The parents have requested that Ariha be placed under the care of the Gujarat Child Welfare Agency until she can be reunited with her family.
MP Mhaske urged the Ministry of External Affairs to take swift action, engage with the German government, and bring Ariha back to India at the earliest to restore justice to the family. His appeal received unanimous support from both ruling and opposition parties, who called on the central government to take immediate steps to resolve the matter.