New Delhi, Aug 3 (PTI) India summoned German Ambassador Philipp Ackermann this week and pressed for the return of an Indian baby girl, who has been living in a foster care in Berlin for over 20 months.

Ariha Shah, aged seven months then, was placed in the custody of Germany's Youth Welfare Office (Jugendamt) on September 23, 2021 after she suffered an accidental injury. She has been in foster care since then.

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External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said Ackerman was summoned earlier this week on the Ariha issue.

India has been maintaining that it is important for the child to be in her linguistic, religious, cultural and social environment.

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Last December, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar conveyed to his German counterpart Annalena Baerbock concerns over the girl.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)