Norway episode plays out in Sweden too

With the custody row with Norway over two NRI children settled, an Indian mother in Sweden has sought the Centre’s intervention for the custody of her 11-year-old son allegedly being held by the Swedish authorities.

Kolkata-based NGO India’s Smile, which had claimedto have brought to light the custody row over the two NRI children in Norway, on Wednesday, said that the mother, Annie Johansson, informed them that she was inspired by the role played by them in bringing back the two children Abhigyan and Aishwarya to India.

The mother, who had settled at Visby in Sweden in 2000, contacted them with a plea to the Indian government for the custody of her son who was in the care of Swedish Gotland Municipal Social Welfare Committee.

The NGO said the authorities of Gotland Municipal Social Welfare Committee had allegedly taken away Annie’s son Domenic Johansson in 2009 and placed him in an emergency foster home on the ground that the parents were not taking proper care of him.

Nurturing questioned

The mother alleged that the Swedish authority which had no idea of Indian culture and tradition, held that Domenic was not being brought up suitably.

Annie, whose earlier name was Nirmalkumar Bharos, a resident of Pune, married Christer Johansson in India on April 24, 2000. After their marriage, they continued to reside in India.
Annie was pregnant with Domenic when there was a earthquake in 2001 and the Johansson’s family lost everything and decided to migrate back to Sweden.