Norway custody row ends; children arrive in India

New Delhi, Apr 24 (ANI): Two Indian toddlers caught up in an almost year-long custody battle in Norway, finally arrived in India today along with their paternal uncle.

The kids - Abhigyan and Aishwarya arrived here this morning and were received by their maternal grandparents.

Minister of State for External Affairs Preneet Kaur, who was present at the airport, said the kids were brought to India by their foster father and several other officials from Norway.

On Monday, a Norwegian court had handed over the two NRI children in foster care to their paternal uncle, ending months of a custody row that saw India stepping up diplomatic pressure on Norway to send the kids back.

Norway's Children Welfare Service (CWS), which had kept the children in foster care since May last year, made a recommendation to the Stavanger District court that the children's custody should be given to the uncle and that they should be allowed to return to India.

Three-year-old Abhigyan and one-year-old Aishwarya have been placed in the care of two different foster families in Norway. The Norwigian authorities have said the children were taken away, as their parents, Sagarika and Anurup, were not taking proper care of them.

The parents, however, claimed that the authorities took exception to the cultural differences such as sleeping with the children and breastfeeding the daughter at scheduled times, as opposed to when she cried. (ANI)