A special flight carrying over 100 Indian students, who had been moved to Armenia from Iran amid the spiralling conflict between Tehran and Israel, touched down in New Delhi in the early hours of Thursday under the Indian government’s ongoing evacuation initiative, Operation Sindhu.
The evacuation, facilitated by the Indian Embassy in Iran, follows advisories issued in light of the worsening security situation in the region. According to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), students were relocated from Tehran to Armenia through land routes arranged by the embassy.
The MEA, in a statement issued earlier this week, confirmed that Indian nationals in Tehran had been advised to move out of the city for their safety, with those able to arrange transport independently encouraged to do so. “Some Indians have been facilitated to leave Iran through the border with Armenia,” it said, adding that further advisories may follow depending on the situation.
The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association confirmed that 110 students from Urmia Medical University, of whom 90 are from the Kashmir Valley, had successfully crossed into Armenia.
The association expressed its appreciation for the rescue efforts, stating, “We remain hopeful that all remaining students will be evacuated soon.” It also extended thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for the timely intervention.
Also read: India launches Op Sindhu to evacuate its nationals from Iran
Family members of the students echoed the relief and gratitude, though many voiced concern over those who remain behind in Iran.
“We are really happy. The students have been brought back home safely. We thank the Indian government for this. But we are sad that students, who are stuck in Tehran, have not been rescued,” Haider Ali, father of 21-year-old Maaz Haider, an MBBS student, was quoted as saying by PTI.
Recounting his experience, Mir Khalif, another MBBS student who arrived in Delhi on the evacuation flight, described the atmosphere in Iran as fraught with danger.
“We could see missiles. There was a war going on. Our neighbourhood was bombed. We were very afraid of the situation. I hope we will never see those days again,” he said.
Khalif noted that while many students had been relocated to safer places, several still remained in Iran. “There are students still stuck in Iran. They are being relocated to safer places. We hope they will also be airlifted to India soon,” he added.
India launched Operation Sindhu to evacuate its citizens from conflict-hit areas as tensions between Iran and Israel flared following retaliatory strikes. More such efforts are expected in the coming days, with the MEA keeping a close watch on the developing situation.
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