Bihar gives clean chit to US girl’s adoption from Nalanda

PATNA: The Bihar government gave a clean chit to the adoption of three-year-old Texas girl, Sherin Mathews, whose body was found in a culvert under a road about half a mile from her parents’ home in Dallas on Sunday.

Sherin was adopted by US couple Wesley and Sini Mathews from the Mother Teresa Anath Sewa Ashram in Bihar’s Nalanda district, 70 kms south-east of Patna, on June 23, 2016.

In its report to the ministry of external affairs (MEA) on Wednesday, after the latter asked for it a day before, the Bihar government said all formalities were followed. Nalanda district magistrate (DM) Thiyagarajan SM told HT, “We are convinced that the orphanage followed all the laid down norms. Our inquiry team did not detect any irregularity in the adoption of the girl.”

The DM had on Monday ordered an inquiry after the police in US claimed the body of a child it recovered was “most likely” of Sherin, who went missing on October 7.

Thiyagarajan said, “Our probe has cleared two important facts. First, the adoption was completed following a court order by the district judge, as stipulated under the Juvenile Justice Act. Secondly, the agency had procured a no-objection certificate from the Central Adoption Resource Agency (CARA) the nodal agency for adoption...”

SUSHMA ASKS MANEKA TO PROBE ADOPTION

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj requested women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi to probe the case.