This May Uphold Norwegian Laws While Meeting The Expectations Of Kids’ Parents
New Delhi/Kolkata: The harrowing story of two Indian children taken away from their parents in Norway moved towards a happy ending on Wednesday, with the Indian and Norwegian governments closing in on a solution that upholds Norwegian laws while meeting the expectations of the parents.
Dr Arunabhas Bhattacharya, the paternal uncle of the children – Abhigyan and Aishwarya – may be accepted as the primary caregiver if the parents agree to nominate him, and if he is acceptable to the district court where an appeal trial is pending.
In the next stage, Arunabhas may be required to be present in Norway for a while for the children to get accustomed to him. He is a 27-yearold bachelor.
Speaking to TOI from Stavanger in Norway, the kids’ parents, Sagarika and Anurup Bhattacharya, said they were in high spirits after their lawyer told them the Norwegian child care agency had agreed to hand over their children to Arunabhas.
“I am happy that at last I can see the kids,” said Sagarika. “The agency has agreed to return them to my brother-in-law. He will come to Norway soon and stay with us and then the children will be with us. Legally, they are giving custody of the children to Arunabhas, but there isn’t much difference.”
“We will be heading for India soon after we are reunited. I don’t want to stay in Norway anymore,” she added. The Bhattacharyas have been in Norway since 2007, ever since Anurup got a job as a geoscientist. Their visa expires in March.
The two have been fighting a legal battle since May 2011 when Norway’s child welfare services took away their children alleging serious neglect of parental care.
According to the parents, the authorities objected to them feeding their children with their hands and three-year-old Abhigyan sleeping with his father. Other reports said the welfare agency even objected to the manner in which Sagarika held the infant Aishwarya (then only five months) and breastfed her.
However, Gunnar Toresen, the head of Norwegian child welfare services, denied that such observations formed the basis of the ruling. He said the unusual move of taking the children away from their parents was resorted to after it was observed that the kids were not being taken care of.
It appears that Sagarika is being seen as the prime cause of concern by Norwegian authorities. According to informed sources, she appeared to be suffering from depression. In their statement, the Bhattacharyas claimed this was post-partum depression which the Norwegian authorities failed to take note of.
The older boy, Abhigyan, is believed to have some behavioral problems. The parents classify it as “quasi-autism” but sources familiar with the developments say the boy’s behaviour turned for the worse in his parents’ presence. His behaviour was observed by the school and despite showing definite signs of needing special attention, the mother allegedly smacked him when he cried. Hitting children, even in a disciplinary gesture, is illegal in Norway.
Another concern for the Norwegians has been the degree of marital discord between the Bhattacharyas. Here, too, they reported that Sagarika was observed in “abusive” behaviour with her husband. This was explained by the parents as natural panic when they realized they were going to lose control of their children.
Norwegian media reported that foreign minister Jonas Gahr Støre took personal interest in the matter after speaking to his counterpart S M Krishna on Monday. Støre is travelling to Myanmar but has been involved in trying to find a solution. A statement by Norway’s foreign ministry stated that the two “discussed the issue” and that Støre “assured Krishna that the Norwegian authorities are working hard to find a solution that is in the best interests of the children”. Støre stressed that the child welfare services in Stavanger had “firmly denied this is based in any way on cultural prejudice or misinterpretation”.
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