Another adoption controversy hits Bhopal agency Udaan, this time it’s from Bahrain

SANYA DHINGRA 10 October, 2018 12:04 pm IST

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Bahrain couple, who adopted 8-year old girl from Bhopal adoption agency Udaan in July, now wants to send her back as she is displaying ‘violent behaviour’.

New Delhi: Bhopal-based Special Adoption Agency (SAA) Udaan has been named in yet another case of deception involving an NRI couple in Bahrain.

The couple, who adopted an 8-year old girl from Udaan on 14 July, wants to send the child back due to her inability to adapt to her new home.

The development comes over a month after ThePrint reported that a Spanish couple abandoned a girl they adopted from Madhya Pradesh after they were allegedly deceived by the same adoption agency.

Also read: Spanish couple abandon adopted Indian child, Bhopal agency under the scanner

The Bahrain couple approached the Indian embassy earlier this month and informed that the girl is showing “violent behaviour” and is unable to adapt, sources in the Indian government told ThePrint.

The couple could not be reached for a comment.

Reached for comment, Udaan did not respond to queries about the adoption in Bahrain and, instead, advised ThePrint against publishing the report.

It said publishing the report would be in violation of the Juvenile Justice Act, according to which details such as name, address, school, etc. of a child cannot be revealed.

But Section 74 of the JJ Act — which prohibits revealing details of children — doesn’t impose a blanket ban on reporting on children as long as it is done without revealing the identity of the child.

‘Tricked into adoption’

“The girl was apparently told that she is being sent to Bahrain for two months and will then be sent back – this is what the child has told the (adoptive) parents,” a source in the government said on condition of anonymity.

“She was basically tricked into being adopted. A child has to be prepared and counselled for adoption before the adoption takes place,” the source added.

The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) was informed about the case on 7 October by the Embassy in Bahrain.

Two days before that, Udaan emailed the Mission saying the child is not able to adjust there and wants to return to India.

It’s not immediately clear if Udaan’s email was in response to the parents approaching the Indian Embassy.

Curiously, the SAA did not inform either the MEA or the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) or the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA) about the case, and instead wrote directly to the Embassy in Bahrain.

Under the WCD Ministry, CARA is the designated authority to deal with inter-country adoptions in accordance with the provisions of the Hague Convention on Inter-country Adoption, 1993, ratified by Government of India in 2003.

Not the first time

This is not the first time that the Bhopal-based agency is finding itself in a situation like this. As reported earlier by ThePrint, the agency had sent two children for inter-country adoptions to Spain and Italy after allegedly deceiving the adoptive parents about their age.

The child in Spain was eventually abandoned by the adoptive parents, and is now being considered for alternative adoption in the country.

Also read:Under fire, country’s central adoption agency seeks to increase senior cadre strength

The WCD Ministry is in the final stages of preparing its report against the alleged irregularities and violations by Udaan. An inquiry was initiated against the agency after these cases came to light.

“The report is almost prepared, but cannot be declassified yet,” the government official who spoke on condition of anonymity said.