‘Operation Sindhu’: Indian Students Recount Horror as First Evacuation Flight Arrives in Delhi

In the early hours of Thursday, the first evacuation flight carrying more than 100 Indian students from war-hit Iran arrived in Delhi. The group had been safely moved to Armenia earlier this week amid rising tensions between Israel and Iran.

Indian Students Land In Delhi

Faced with escalating hostilities in the region, Indian authorities relocated 110 students from Tehran to Armenia on Tuesday, as part of 'Operation Sindhu'-a special mission coordinated by the Indian Embassy. The Jammu and Kashmir Students' Association expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar for initiating the evacuation. "We remain hopeful that all remaining students will be evacuated soon," the association stated.

Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, provided further updates, saying, "Today, another plane will be going to evacuate people from Turkmenistan. Our missions have opened 24-hour helplines to receive evacuation requests. As the situation evolves, we will be sending more planes or charter flights to evacuate all Indians from Iran. We have good cooperation with Turkmenistan and Armenia. It is our duty to take care of Indian nationals, and we will do everything to get them back to safety. Right now, there is no such requirement to engage the IAF."

Students arriving in India recounted the tense moments they experienced. One MBBS student told ANI, "We are very happy to be back in our country. The situation is really bad there. We saw the missiles being launched and intercepted by Iran. We are thankful to the government for evacuating us."

Another evacuee emotionally described the relief upon hearing from Indian authorities. "When the Government of India told us they were taking us home, it felt like I was looking at my mother. I felt so happy."

Students Recount Horror

Sharing similar sentiments, another student added, "It was very tense for us at this time of war. We were uncertain what would unfold. The MEA and the Indian Embassy in Iran helped us immensely. Missiles bombed our neighbourhood... Hope we never see such things again."

An appeal was also made on behalf of those still stuck in conflict-hit areas. "We thank the Indian Embassy for evacuating us at the right time, but we have one more appeal: that all of our brothers and sisters who are stranded in Isfahan and Tehran be evacuated as soon as possible, as the situation is so critical there."

Another student remarked on the timely help, saying, "The situation there (Iran) is bad, and people are scared. The government literally evacuated us from our doors; we didn't even expect this much. They helped us at every step, and we are grateful to the central government for that."

While the conditions in some regions like Urmia were less severe, students still witnessed disturbing scenes. "I am happy that I am back to our country. We didn't see any such thing in Urmia, but in other places across Iran, the situation was bad. The Government of India helped a lot, which is why we are back home," said a student.

Another, a final-year MBBS student at Urmia University, recalled, "We saw drones and missiles. We were scared. We are happy to return to India and are very thankful to the government, especially the Ministry of External Affairs. Our parents were also worried, but now they are happy."

Yasir Gaffar, one of the evacuees, noted, "We saw the missiles passing by and the loud sounds at night. I am happy to reach India. I haven't given up on my dreams. When the situation improves, we will return to Iran."

Another student, Ghazal, added, "We are all very happy that we returned home and the Indian Embassy evacuated us properly. The situation in Urmia, where we lived, was much better than in Tehran."

Mariam Roz, also from Urmia, shared, "The Indian Embassy had already prepared everything for us. We did not face any issues. We are travelling for three days, so we are tired. The situation was not so bad in Urmia when we left. We would see missiles from the windows of our dorm."

One of the evacuated students explained the route they followed: "The situation over there is worsening day by day, especially in Tehran. Indian authorities are doing a good job. We were evacuated from our university in Urmia and taken to Armenia, then to Qatar, and from there, we reached India."

With inputs from agencies.