Srinagar: As tensions between Iran and Israel continue to rise, students from India, including those from Kashmir have been relocated to safer locations in war-torn Iran, before they are eventually allowed to return to their homeland.
Kashmiri students pursuing different professional courses in Iran have made a fervent appeal to the J&K government to ensure their safe passage from Iran to India.
Following Israel’s ongoing airstrikes, a group of female Kashmiri students in a video message pleaded with Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to expedite their departure from Iran.
Students at Iran’s capital, Tehran, who attend Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, said they have been unable to sleep for four nights as a result of Israel’s airstrikes and that they want to return home as early as possible.
“Since Israel’s attacks have left Iran in a state of uncertainty, we live in constant fear, unsure of what will happen next. It may not be safe for us to stay in Iran given the strained situation in both nations, where even residents are escaping to safer locations,” a female student from Kashmir, said in a video message.
“We need to get back home as soon as possible since our parents are worried back home. Omar Abdullah, the chief minister, and Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha are urged to expedite our evacuation to India before it’s too late.”
In the meantime, hundreds of Indian students—many of whom were from Kashmir—were moved to safer locations in Iran this morning. To avoid Israeli bombing, the students boarded buses to Qom and then Geelan.
“Although hundreds of Indian students remain stuck in Iranian colleges and universities, many were moved to safer locations this morning in order to avoid Israeli attacks. We boarded buses from the campus and are travelling to Qom and subsequently Geelan,” Sami Mohammad, a student from Kashmir informed ‘Kashmir Images’ over the phone.
Relocation of the students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University of Medical Sciences, according to J&K Students Association, has been successfully completed; students of Shahid Beheshti University are en-route to their destinations.
Speaking to ‘Kashmir Images’, JKSA convener Nasir Khuehami said relocation of the students enrolled in Shiraz and Isfahan universities is scheduled for tomorrow.
Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association on Monday said that it has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking urgent intervention for the evacuation of hundreds of Kashmiri students stranded in Iran.
In a detailed and urgent letter, the JKSA expressed grave concern over the deteriorating security situation following Israel’s preemptive airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and the subsequent barrage of retaliatory missile and drone attacks by Iran.
In a press release here, JKSA said the region now stands at the brink of a full-scale war, leaving Indian students, especially those from Jammu and Kashmir, terrified, helpless, and dangerously exposed.
The volatile environment has left thousands of Indian students, the majority hailing from Kashmir Valley, at risk of immediate harm. These students had travelled to Iran to pursue professional education, particularly MBBS degrees, owing to the country’s economically viable academic infrastructure. Now, they find themselves stranded in the midst of a high-intensity military conflict, fearing for their lives and with no clear way out.
JKSA said that many Kashmiri students are enrolled in colleges and universities located dangerously close to key military installations and strategic targets. Students have reported hearing airstrike sirens, experiencing tremors, and observing intensified military activity in their surroundings. It said that the situation has deteriorated rapidly since last night, and that some students are even in cities where direct Israeli airstrikes have already occurred.
The JKSA letter highlights a deeply alarming incident that took place on Sunday evening, when an attack occurred near the boys’ dormitory for international students at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (Hujjatdost Dormitory). Two Indian students from the Kashmir Valley were injured in the incident. Fortunately, both students are now stable and are being relocated to a safer village in Ramsar by university authorities.
JKSA said that the students are living in constant fear and trauma, under extreme psychological stress and insecurity. “Their parents are deeply distressed and anxious for their children’s safety,” it said. “Many students are messaging us, saying, ‘We are very scared. Our parents back home are extremely worried.’ The atmosphere is filled with fear and uncertainty.”
“Every passing minute without information from the authorities is agonizing,” JKSA said. “Parents have pointed out that students from several other countries have already been evacuated, while Indian students continue to wait anxiously. One parent said to us, ‘People from many countries have left, but our children remain. Nobody is asking about us. We feel abandoned’.”
The JKSA urged the Prime Minister to direct the External Affairs Ministry to take immediate steps for relocating the students to safer areas within Iran and begin urgent evacuation efforts. Such action would bring much-needed relief and assurance to hundreds of distressed families back home, particularly in Kashmir.
It said that the government must also formulate and activate a comprehensive evacuation plan in anticipation of the situation worsening. “If critical infrastructure comes under sustained attack or airspace is closed suddenly, timely evacuation could mean the difference between life and death,” he said.
The Association also appealed to the Government of India to coordinate urgently with the Iranian authorities and relevant international agencies to guarantee the safety, and if needed, the safe passage of Indian students trapped in conflict-affected areas.
“This is a humanitarian emergency. The lives, safety, and mental well-being of our youth are at stake. We cannot wait for the situation to deteriorate further before we act. Timely intervention will not only save lives but also reassure the thousands of families in Kashmir who are living in fear for their children,” JKSA said, while urging the Prime Minister to treat this as a national priority. “The students from Jammu and Kashmir currently in Iran are our collective responsibility. Their safety and timely return must be treated with the utmost urgency.”
