Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Mar 10: Indian medical students stranded in Iran, including dozens from Jammu and Kashmir, are preparing to return home through a complicated Armenia route after the Indian Embassy in Tehran declined to announce a formal evacuation plan, leaving students to book their own tickets and bear most of the travel expenses themselves.
According to the latest update shared with students by the Embassy, those willing to leave Iran may travel via the Armenia border, but only after fulfilling a set of conditions.
Students must first book their own flight tickets from Armenia to New Delhi and submit a confirmed ticket with the PNR number to the Embassy, states the advisory.
“Only after verification will the Embassy inform them when they may travel from their current location to the Armenian border. No student will be permitted to cross the border without a confirmed onward ticket,” it added.
Students have also been told they must pay a visa fee of 10 US dollars at the Armenian border. Those who arrive in Armenia earlier than their scheduled flight date will have to arrange and pay for their own accommodation until departure.
The Embassy has said that if around 40 to 50 students opt for the Armenia route, it may arrange a bus and possibly one night’s accommodation in Urmia before the journey to the border. However, it has made clear that students travelling this route do so at their own responsibility.
Under the tentative plan, students willing to travel will first confirm their participation. If sufficient numbers are available, a bus will be arranged to Qom, where they will stay overnight at Embassy-arranged accommodation. The following day, they will travel to the Zulfa border crossing into Armenia. Students have been advised to maintain a gap of five to seven days between leaving Iran and their flight from Armenia to India to avoid complications.
The Embassy’s formal advisory, however, remains unchanged — students have been asked to stay where they are for now, and no official evacuation has been announced.
Dr Mohammad Momin Khan of the All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA) confirmed that many Indian students, including those from J&K, are planning to return via the Armenia route. Nearly all students from Urmia University of Medical Sciences have expressed an intention to leave.
“More than 50 students from Urmia University have already booked their tickets and are expected to reach New Delhi on March 15 via Dubai, with departure scheduled around 1:25 AM. Another group from the same university is likely to arrive on March 16,” Dr Khan said.
Students from Qom are also planning to join the group bound for Armenia, with several in the process of booking tickets. Students told AIMSA that the first batch will serve as a test case. If they reach India safely, others are expected to follow in the coming days.
Families back home remain deeply anxious, urging the Government of India to arrange structured evacuation flights rather than leaving students to navigate a multi-country journey through a conflict zone on their own.
“Our children are studying there and are scared due to the prevailing situation. The government should arrange proper evacuation flights instead of asking them to travel through different countries,” a parent from Kashmir said.
Several parents noted that the Armenia route would cost each student approximately Rs 1 lakh, a sum many families cannot afford. They have sought the urgent intervention of the External Affairs Minister and other concerned authorities.
“Our children should not be forced to arrange such complicated travel in a tense situation. The government must intervene and arrange proper evacuation flights,” another parent said. (KNO)
