Couple finally reunited with infant son in NJ

JERSEY CITY, NJ — A Jaipur couple was reunited with its infant son in New Jersey on September 1 after an eight-month grueling US court ordeal, in which they were accused of child abuse.

Ashish and Vidisha Pareek had moved to Jersey City, New Jersey, in August 2015, for the husband’s assignment with TCS. Their son, Ashvid, was born two months later.

But on December 23, Ashvid allegedly slipped out of Vidisha’s hand and hit his head on a television stand before falling onto the floor. The couple rushed Ashvid to the hospital where he was admitted with serious head injuries and remained in intensive care for seven days.

Jersey City’s Department of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP) stepped in and took Ashvid a week later, after a court determined the baby was suffering from Shaken Baby Syndrome, which can indicate chronic abuse. Ashvid was then placed in foster care.

Ashish and Vidisha Pareek told authorities that Ashvid’s head injuries were the result of his accidental fall but they were nevertheless accused of neglect. At issue was a clot on Ashvid’s retina, which DCPP concluded was the result of Ashvid being thrown.

The Pareeks then contacted the Indian Embassy for help and wrote a letter to Indian External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj. In July, they were granted a measure of relief when it allowed a maternal grandmother to take custody of Ashvid.

After test reports corroborated the Pareeks’ statements, noting that the child was born with the clot, a court last week found in favor of the Pareeks. Vidisha and her mother are now preparing to return to India with Ashvid.