Is the Russian Embassy in New Delhi Addressing Victoria Basu's Situation?
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- Russian Embassy denies reports about Victoria Basu.
- Victoria has been living in India since 2019.
- Supreme Court expresses concern over child’s welfare.
- Ongoing custody dispute with estranged husband.
- Embassy in regular contact with Indian authorities.
New Delhi, Nov 1 (NationPress) The Russian Embassy in New Delhi has refuted a series of local media articles concerning Victoria Basu, labeling them as "speculative" and confirming that they do not reflect the actual situation.
Victoria, a citizen of Russia, has been living in India since 2019. She reportedly returned to her home country with her four-year-old child amid a contentious custody dispute involving her estranged Indian spouse.
According to a statement from the Russian diplomatic mission in New Delhi, "The Embassy acknowledges the recent publications in certain local media regarding the case of Victoria Basu. Unfortunately, these reports do not align with reality and are founded on conjecture."
Furthermore, the Embassy affirmed its commitment to fulfill its core responsibilities to safeguard and promote the rights and valid interests of Russian citizens in strict compliance with Indian law. Regarding Basu's situation, "We are in regular communication with the competent Indian authorities," it stated.
This declaration followed concerns raised by the Supreme Court regarding the lack of a definitive response from the Russian Embassy about the whereabouts of the Russian woman.
The court expressed, "We do not wish to issue any orders that could affect the relations between the two nations, but this is a significant issue, especially concerning a child. We can only hope that the child is safe and healthy while with the mother. However, we must ensure that this is not a case of child trafficking or other exploitative practices in Russia,” as reported by NDTV, while granting authorities an additional two weeks to obtain assistance from Russian officials.
The Supreme Court made these remarks while reviewing two status reports—one from the Delhi Police and another from the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA)—that documented the attempts to locate Victoria and her child.
Saikat Basu, the child’s father, has reportedly stated that he lacks any information regarding their current whereabouts as the custody battle with his estranged Russian wife continues.