NEW DELHI: Representatives of the Gujarati Jain business community held a protest outside the German Consulate in Mumbai seeking the unconditional repatriation of baby Ariha to India and also said they would boycott buying German cars. It may be recalled that Ariha has been in German foster care for the last 28 months even as her biological parents and the Indian government are making continuous efforts to get her back to India.
Recently, a German district court had denied Ariha’s parents the custody of the child as well as visitation rights. They said that the parents were no longer authorised to know about the whearabouts of the child as she would remain in German foster care. The child was taken away by Jugendamt (German Youth Service) as she had suffered injuries and the parents were suspected of abuse. These charges were dropped but the custody of the child remains with the German authorities.
"We have decided to boycott buying of any German cars until the child is sent back. The child is a Jain and is being made to eat food which doesn’t befit our sensibilities and upbringing. It is a gross violation of the rights that the child deserves," says Yatin Shah, a member of the Jain community representing Ariha’s parents (Bhavesh and Dhara Shah) in India. Ariha’s parents are living in Germany at present.
The Gujarati Jain community has been constantly seeking the return of the child and say they would stop only when she is either united with her biological parents or repatriated to India where she can live with a family that will bring her up based on her culture and roots.