News

NRI parents approach Delhi for child's custody, Sushma comes to the rescue

by IBNS 26 Dec 2016, 08:54 pm

New Delhi/Oslo, Dec 27 (IBNS): An NRI couple whose five-and-a-half year old son was forcefully taken away from them and placed in foster care in Norway, will receive all help from the Indian Government, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has assured.

Swaraj has already asked for a report on the aforementioned incident from the Indian Ambassador in Oslo and has asked him to keep her informed.

"Our Ambassador in Norway is meeting the Norwegian authorities today reg Aryan," her tweet read.

In a series of tweets she said, "I refuse to accept that foster parents can take better care of the child than the natural parents."

Defending the NRI couple and their demand, Swaraj tweeted, "The foster parents are totally ignorant of the Indian culture and our food habits."

"We want restoration of Aryan to his natural parents," her tweets added.

"This is our firm stand and Indian Ambassador will convey this to the Norwegian authorities," it concluded.

The couple in question are Anil Kumar and his wife Gurvinderjit Kaur.

They alleged that their only son, Aryan, was sent to foster home by Norwegian authorities without their knowledge.

Norwegian police also interrogated Kaur and accused the Indian parents of thrashing their child.

"When we asked for the reason, it was conveyed to us that we had beaten up our son," Kumar was quoted as saying by The Indian Express.

Opening up about his plight, the man said, "The Child Welfare Department of Norway took custody of my five-and-a-half-year-old son on December 13, at 9.30 am, from his kindergarten school. They did not give us prior information. At 10 am, the same day, four policemen came to my house, took my wife into custody, and interrogated her from 11.15 am to 2.45 pm."

The parents also alleged that their only son wasn't receiving adequate treatment at the foster home.

The couple who met the child on Monday, said, "He was wearing the same clothes and undergarments in which he had gone to school a week ago. He is not receiving proper care from the child welfare department. He hugged us and cried a lot… he is our only child…why would we torture him."

Reiterating his stance and his love for his son, the man said, "We are law abiding peaceful citizens of Norway, with deep-rooted Indian values. We hope the Indian government will help us.”