Last Updated on January 7, 2026 7:06 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Staff Reporter / New Delhi
Dr. John Brittas, Rajya Sabha MP and Permanent Invitee to the Central Committee of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), has urged the Union government to use the forthcoming visit of the German Chancellor to India to secure the repatriation of Baby Ariha Shah, an Indian citizen who has remained in foster care in Germany for over four and a half years.
In a letter to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, Dr. Brittas called for urgent, high-level diplomatic intervention during the German Chancellor’s official visit to India scheduled for January 12–13. He noted that all criminal allegations against Ariha’s parents have been closed, with a German hospital ruling out any evidence of abuse and a court-appointed psychologist recommending the restoration of parental custody. Despite this, German child welfare authorities continue to pursue termination of parental rights and adoption within Germany.
Highlighting Ariha’s rights under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, Dr. Brittas said the child’s right to family life, cultural identity, language and religion is being violated. He expressed concern that Ariha has been placed with five different foster families and is reportedly denied contact with her extended family in India.
The MP said the Chancellor’s visit presents a critical diplomatic opportunity to resolve the matter in the child’s best interests.