India’s Operation Sindhu, launched to evacuate citizens from Iran amid escalating tensions with Israel, brought 110 Indian students, including 90 from Jammu and Kashmir, safely to New Delhi early today, Thursday, June 19, 2025.
The students, primarily pursuing MBBS degrees, were airlifted from Yerevan, Armenia, after being transported from Tehran, where Iranian cities faced missile attacks and bombings.
Students share terrifying experiences
According to a The Times of India report, the evacuated students shared chilling accounts of their ordeal in Iran, where the conflict turned their academic journey into a fight for survival.
MBBS student Mir Khalif told PTI, “We saw missiles in the sky and heard bombs in our neighbourhood...we were petrified.” Varta, a Kashmiri student, recalled, “The situation was quite critical. We were terrified when our neighbourhood was attacked. When the government reached our doorstep, we felt relieved.”
Ali Akbar, a student from Delhi, described the devastation, saying, “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.”
Government's evacuation efforts appreciated by evacuees
The Indian government, through the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Indian Embassy in Tehran, coordinated the rescue with support from Armenian and Turkmenistan authorities.
Sheikh Afsa, another evacuee, praised the operation, telling ANI, “The government literally evacuated us from our dormitory. They helped us at every step. We are grateful to the central government,” though she expressed concern about her interrupted studies.
Minister of State for External Affairs Kirti Vardhan Singh, who welcomed the students at Delhi airport, confirmed ongoing efforts, stating, “Another plane is ready to leave today. We are also evacuating people from Turkmenistan. Our missions are running 24-hour helplines.”
