New Delhi: “We saw missiles in the sky and heard bombs in our neighbourhood… We were petrified,” said MBBS student Mir Khalif, his voice still trembling with fear, as he stepped out of the Delhi airport after being evacuated from war-hit Iran under Operation Sindhu.
Khalif arrived in the national capital early Thursday in the first evacuation flight carrying 110 Indian students of the Urmia University of Medical Sciences in Iran’s Urmia city as part of the special operation launched by the Indian government in response to the escalating Iran-Israel conflict.
The students, including 90 from Jammu and Kashmir, were moved from Tehran to Armenia earlier this week as explosions and aerial attacks rocked Iranian cities. The rescue was coordinated by the Indian Embassy.
Khalif described the experience in Iran as a nightmare and thanked the Indian government for evacuating them first to Armenia and then bringing them back home.
“We saw missiles and heard bombings. It was a war zone. Our building shook during the attacks. I hope no student has to face what we did,” he said.
“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.
Varta, a resident of Kashmir, recalled the fear she lived through.
“We were the first ones to be evacuated from Iran. The situation was quite critical. We were terrified. We thank the Indian government and the Indian Embassy, which worked swiftly to bring us here.
“Our neighbourhood was attacked. When the Indian government came to our doorstep, it felt like home,” she told PTI Videos.
Huzaif Malik, another student from Kashmir, told PTI, “There are 90 of us from Kashmir. We landed this morning, and now we are heading to Kashmir in sleeper buses. Some students also left for their homes by flights.”
Ali Akbar, who hails from Delhi, said the destruction was visible everywhere.
“We saw a missile and a drone fall from the sky while travelling in a bus. Tehran is in ruins. The images on the news are real, the situation is very bad,” he said.
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh reached the Delhi airport to receive the students.
Later, in a post on X, he said, “Warmly welcomed home the first group of 110 Indian nationals evacuated from Iran as part of Operation Sindhu, reaffirming India’s steadfast commitment to the safety and well-being of its citizens abroad.”
Singh also shared some photos of the arrival of Indian nationals at the airport. Singh confirmed that evacuation efforts under Operation Sindhu are ongoing, with more flights scheduled.
“We have planes ready. We will be sending another plane today. We are evacuating some more people from Turkmenistan. Our missions have opened 24-hour helplines for any request for evacuation. As the situation evolves, we will be sending more planes to evacuate Indian nationals,” he said.
The Union minister thanked the governments of Turkmenistan and Armenia for their support.
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal shared some photos of the students on X.
“Operation Sindhu brings people home. 110 Indian students evacuated from Iran under Operation Sindhu have safely arrived in New Delhi on a special flight from Yerevan, Armenia. MoS KV Singh received them at the airport. Government of India remains committed to the safety of Indian nationals abroad,” he posted.
Officials on Wednesday said that the first evacuation flight of Indian nationals being moved out of Iran was to arrive in India from the Armenian capital of Yerevan in the early hours of June 19.
Meanwhile, at the Delhi airport, several parents waited anxiously to reunite with their children.
Haider Ali, the father of MBBS student Maaz Haider, said, “We are happy and grateful, but our hearts are still heavy knowing that many students are still stuck in Tehran. We urge the government to bring them back too.”
Parvez Alam from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh, whose son studied in Urmia, said, “We were under constant stress. The students were shifted to Armenia and looked after well. We thank the government for this.”
The Jammu and Kashmir Students’ Association also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for the evacuation.
“We remain hopeful that all remaining students will be evacuated soon,” the association said in a statement.
In a post on X, the association shared photos of a Kashmiri student’s reunion with her family.
“Saba Rasool, the first Kashmiri MBBS student from Srinagar, reaches home after being evacuated from Iran by the Ministry of External Affairs under Operation Sindhu. Grateful to the Prime Minister and External Affairs Minister for ensuring her safe return,” read the post.
While relieved to be back in India, some students complained about the condition of the buses arranged for them to travel back to Kashmir.
Taking note, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah directed officials to ensure that the students are ferried in deluxe buses.
“The Chief Minister has taken note of the request of the students evacuated from Iran regarding the quality of buses arranged to transport them from Delhi to J&K. The Resident Commissioner has been tasked with coordinating with the JKRTC to ensure proper deluxe buses are arranged,” the Chief Minister’s Office said on X.
500 Kashmiri students among 600 shifted to Mashhad from Qom, to be in India by tomorrow: JKSA
The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Thursday said that around 600 Indian students, including 500 from Kashmir, have been safely relocated from Qom to Mashhad, a border city in Iran, as part of the ongoing evacuation efforts.
In a statement, JKSA national convenor Nasir Khuehami said, “Around 600 Indian students, including 500 from Kashmir, have safely reached Mashhad from Qom. This is the second group of students who were earlier moved to Qom, where they remained for three days. Their evacuation process is currently underway.”
The Association added, “Mashhad, a border city in Iran, is located approximately 1,000 kilometers from Qom, a journey that takes nearly 15 hours by road. The students are from various institutions, including Islamic Azad University, Iran University of Medical Sciences, and Shahid Beheshti University. From Mashhad, they are expected to be taken to Turkmenistan, from where they will likely board flights to Delhi tomorrow.”
“We are in constant communication with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian Embassy in Iran to ensure the safety and smooth evacuation of the students,” the Association said.
Regarding the arrival of nine students in Srinagar from Iran, Khuehami expressed gratitude to the Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister, stating, “We are grateful to the Prime Minister and the External Affairs Minister for ensuring their safe return.” Earlier yesterday, 94 Kashmiri students were successfully evacuated and arrived in Delhi from Iran.
Students evacuated from Iran to be brought back in deluxe buses: CM
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Thursday announced that students evacuated from Iran will be ferried from Delhi to the Union Territory in deluxe buses.
As many as 90 students from Jammu and Kashmir were among the 110 people evacuated from war-affected Iran on Wednesday. They were taken to Armenia before being flown to Doha. The students arrived in Delhi from the Qatari capital early Thursday.
In a post on X, the chief minister’s office said the resident commissioner has been directed to arrange deluxe buses of the Jammu & Kashmir Road Transport Corporation to transport the students.
“The Chief Minister has taken note of the request of the students evacuated from Iran regarding the quality of buses arranged to transport them from Delhi to J&K,” the Office of the Chief Minister said.
“The Resident Commissioner has been tasked with coordinating with the JKRTC to ensure proper deluxe buses are arranged,” it said.
Abdullah shared the post from his official X handle.
In another post, the chief minister said, “94 of our students evacuated from Iran have safely reached Delhi. The Government is making transport arrangements to ensure their smooth journey home, which will be in place within the next few hours”.
