Oslo:
Two young Indian children who were separated from their parents in Norway by local child welfare services will be handed over to a family member. The agreement between the governments of India, Norway and the parents, will end weeks of a custody row that became a diplomatic stress-test for the two countries.
The parents are named Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya. Anurup's brother, Aruna Bhash, who lives in Kolkata, will be made the formal custodian of three-year-old Abhigyan and one-year-old Aishwarya.
"Heard things from the media...I haven't spoken to my brother who is in Oslo...This is the biggest relief for us. I want to thank the media, Mrs Brinda Karat and everyone else for their support," Aruna Bhash told NDTV.
The Indian government will pay for Aruna Bhash to travel to Norway and get the children back to India.
Last May, child welfare services placed the children in foster care because they found the Bhattacharyas guilty of "an emotional disconnect" with their children. The Bhattacharyas say cultural misunderstandings are to blame - the Norwegian authorities objected to the children being fed by hand and sleeping in the same bed as their parents.
Foreign Affairs Minister SM Krishna had told Norwegian diplomats and his counterpart that the children must be brought back to India and to an environment in which they are culturally and linguistically comfortable.
Sources tell NDTV the decision swung in favour of the parents after the Ministry of External Affairs made it clear that Norway's charges were not acceptable and they were, in fact, just cultural differences. The Indian government will also have to stand guarantor for the custody agreement.
Back in India, the grandparents of the two children are anxious for the family to get back together. "I want to thank the whole country for supporting us. I can't wait to hug my grandchildren," said Monotosh Chakraborty, grandfather of the children.
These are the first real relief for the desperate parents who for months now have been living a nightmare, one that will hopefully end soon.