External Affairs Minister and Internet's best-loved, Sushma Swaraj has sought a report from Indian Ambassador in Norway after an Indian couple alleged that Norwegian authorities took away their five year old child on frivolous complaint of abuse. Posting an update on micro-blogging site Twitter, Swaraj said, "I have asked Indian Ambassador in Norway to send me a report."
"Our Embassy officials in Oslo have spoken to the boy's father Anil Kumar Sharma and extended full support. However, Sharma informed the mission that he has hired a lawyer to represent him in the case," MEA officials reported. When contacted, Norwegian Embassy spokesperson said, "The Embassy became aware of this case yesterday evening. We have asked relevant authorities in Norway to provide us with further information, and are awaiting their response."
The case came to Swaraj's notice when BJP leader Vijay Jolly wrote to her and the Indian Ambassador in Norway after the couple sought his help in getting back custody of their child. In his letter, Jolly raised concerns on "forcible custody" of Aryan by the Child Welfare Department of Norway on "baseless and fabricated complaint" in Oslo on December 12. He said he had received a call from a senior MEA official saying that help will be given to the Indian couple.
This is the third such incident since 2011 when children have been taken away from their Indian-origin parents by the authorities in Norway on the base of abuse.
