Krishna hopeful of return of Indian children under foster care in Norway

New Delhi, Mar 1 (ANI): Asserting that it is India's earnest endeavor to bring the Indian children back from Norway at the earliest, External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna on Thursday said a judicial process is on and added that efforts in the direction of getting the children back home will be possible only after the hearing in the case scheduled for March 23.

Krishna said that he had sent Mr. Ganpati, Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), to Norway as an envoy to resolve the ongoing issue surrounding the custody of Indian children.

"I had deputed Secretary from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) Mr. Ganpati to visit Norway and then I had sent a special message through Mr. Ganpati to the Minister for External Affairs of Government of Norway with reference to the issues concerning the two Indian children, who have been facing problems in that country. He has come back early this morning and he has conveyed that he has been able to talk to the Minister of External Affairs, the Minister of Child Welfare and various other authorities down below the level of ministers," said Krishna.

"And unfortunately, there is a judicial process, which is on. Now that the judicial process is on it is not possible for the executive to make any moves positive in the light of the judicial proceedings. The case is being heard on 23rd of March and thereafter it should be possible for efforts in the direction of getting the children back to India. It is our earnest endeavor to get the children back to India at the earliest," he added.

Krishna further said he met the grandparents of the children and assured them of an early and positive outcome on the issue.

"Just now, I met the grandparents of the children and I have assured them that we are on the job and let us hope that we will succeed in achieving what everyone of us wants to," he said.

According to certain media reports, the child welfare officials in Norway have decided that they will recommend in court that the children of Sagarika and Anurup Bhattacharya, who have been in foster care since May last year, now be placed in the custody of their uncle, Arunabhas Bhattacharya.

Three-year-old Abhigyan and one-year-old Aishwarya have been placed under the care of two different foster families in Norway. The Norway authorities had said that the children were taken away as their parents, Sagarika and Anurup, were not taking proper care of them. he parents, however, said the authorities took exception to cultural differences such as sleeping with the children and breastfeeding the daughter at scheduled times as opposed to when she cried. (ANI)