Indian Boy Abandoned 2 Years Ago in London Goes Home

Two years ago ten-year old Gurrinderjit Singh was abandoned by his parents at a bus stop in London’s Southall. Although the whereabouts of his parents are still unknown, it is believed he was abandoned by Indian parents who had illegally immigrated to the UK.

After two years of legal turmoil, the boy is finally being allowed to return home to his native Punjab. The London Borough of Ealing had to petition the Haryana high court on the boy’s behalf in order for his return home to be orchestrated.

Wednesday, Gurrinderjit finally received permission from the ministry of external affairs to travel on the basis of an emergency. Gurrinderjit’s lawyer Anil Malhotra told the BBC that trying to get the twelve-year-old the right to travel back to his family had been a huge challenge.

The two year long legal battle began when Gurrinderjit was found homeless wandering along a road in Southall in west London. The boy was placed into the foster care system in the UK, but was not allowed travel documents and as such could not travel back home.

The child’s parents are reportedly in either Italy or the UK, but there whereabouts are not officially known and neither has come forward to claim the boy. However, the high court agreed that denying the twelve-year old a passport would violate Indian constitution and thus the boy was granted travel documents after two years of legal battle.

The London Borough of Ealing will now be held responsible for escorting the child to India where he will be handed over to his closest paternal or maternal relative. A British social worker will escort the boy home on April 12, the same day as his birthday.