Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Mar 12: The phased repatriation of Indian students stranded in Iran has begun as the first batch departed from the country amid escalating tensions and the ongoing war in the Middle East, bringing a sense of relief to anxious families awaiting their safe return.
Indian students enrolled in different medical universities across Iran have started travelling in groups by buses towards the border points of Armenia and Azerbaijan. From these neighbouring countries, the students will be flown back to India as part of the evacuation process being coordinated by the Indian authorities.
The first batch of students includes those studying at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBUMS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) and Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS). These students had earlier been relocated to the city of Qom as part of precautionary measures taken to ensure their safety and facilitate their movement towards exit routes.
In addition, another group of students from Urmia University of Medical Sciences has also begun travelling towards the Armenian border to join the evacuation process.
Officials familiar with the developments said the Embassy of India in Tehran is closely monitoring the situation and coordinating with authorities in Iran, Armenia and Azerbaijan to ensure the safe and smooth passage of Indian nationals. The embassy is currently awaiting the necessary clearances from the Azerbaijan authorities. Once the required permissions are granted, students from universities including Shiraz University and Arak University are expected to proceed towards the Azerbaijan border as part of the next phase of the evacuation.
However, uncertainty and anxiety continue among students after some of them received notifications that their scheduled flights from Armenia had been cancelled, as some flights for the seventeenth have been cancelled
Dr Mohammad Momin Khan, who has been assisting in coordinating communication between students and authorities, reassured the students that the issue had been addressed and that the cancelled flights had been rescheduled.
He said the revised travel arrangements are being made to ensure that the evacuation process continues without major disruptions.
As per the tentative schedule, a large group of students is expected to arrive at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on March 15, while another smaller batch is likely to land a day earlier on March 14 at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai.
Meanwhile, parents of the stranded students have once again appealed to the Government of India to take additional steps to facilitate the safe return of all students still in Iran. They said that while students are making their own arrangements to leave the country, the government must extend greater support by addressing visa-related issues, ensuring smooth border crossings and confirming flight schedules.
“We are relieved that the evacuation has finally started on our own, but many students are still waiting for clarity. The government should actively coordinate with Iran, Armenia and Azerbaijan so that our children can return home safely without facing unnecessary hurdles,” said a parent of a student studying in Iran.
Families urged authorities to provide timely updates and assistance to those who are yet to leave the country, stressing that many students are facing financial constraints and logistical challenges while trying to make travel arrangements on their own.
They expressed hope that the evacuation process would continue smoothly and that all Indian students stranded in Iran would soon return safely to their homes.
