Germany prepared to discuss Ariha case, search for solution to child’s future: envoy

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz to discuss Indian child Ariha Shah's custody during India visit, seeking cultural solution.

German Chancellor Olaf Scholz will be prepared to discuss the issue of three-year-old Ariha Shah, an Indian child taken into foster care by German authorities when he visits India this week, German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann said on Wednesday. He added that the government in Berlin “continues to work to find a satisfactory solution for the future of the child”.

Ahead of the German Chancellor’s visit, Ariha’s parents and members of the Jain community they belong to are urging the Ministry of External Affairs to push for a solution that would see the child return to India, or at least be raised according to their culture.

Ariha was removed from her parents’ custody by German authorities in 2021, over allegations that she had been physically abused and sustained grievous injuries while in their care. Although her father Bhavesh Shah, a Gujarati engineer working in Germany, and her mother Dhara Shah, a housewife, and Ariha herself are all Indian citizens, a German court decreed that she would live in foster care in Germany until she turns 18.

In response to a question from The Hindu during a briefing on Mr. Scholz’s visit, slated to take place from October 24 to 26, Mr. Ackermann said that, through close contact between the MEA, the German Embassy, and the Youth Authorities in Berlin, they had been able to procure an “in-principle” agreement that Ariha would receive training in an Indian language and some exposure to Indian culture as she grows up with a foster parent in a home outside of Berlin.

“What we have achieved in the last couple of months is: this language training in-principle is there, an exposure to [Indian] culture is there, and exposure to festivals is there,” Mr. Ackermann said, referring to Ariha’s participation in the Paryushan celebrations of the Jain community, and her interactions with a priest who flew from Mumbai to teach her some rituals. The Shahs are also allowed to meet their daughter once or twice a month, although their interactions are restricted and monitored by German authorities. 

Accompanied by at least eight senior Ministers, Mr. Scholz will arrive in Delhi late on Thursday night and will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday morning. Both leaders will address the 18th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business 2024 (APK 2024), which will be attended by about 800 CEOs of various companies.

India and Germany will also hold talks as part of their bi-annual Inter-Governmental Consultations (IGC) followed by agreements on a number of issues. Topics include skilling and employment, strategic and military exchanges, and science and technology cooperation, including collaborations between the Indian Space Research Organisation and the German Space Agency.