SRINAGAR: As war erupted between Iran and Israel earlier this month, a group of young Indian medical students, most of them from Jammu and Kashmir, found themselves trapped in a region swiftly transforming into a battlefield. On Thursday morning, they returned to India under Operation Sindhu, a special evacuation effort launched by the Indian government. But for many of them, the trauma is far from over.
“We saw missiles in the sky and heard bombs in our neighbourhood… We were petrified,” said Mir Khalif, an MBBS student from Kashmir, his voice still trembling with fear as he stepped out of Delhi airport. “Our building shook during the attacks. It was a war zone. I hope no student has to go through what we did.”
Khalif was among 110 Indian students—90 of them from Jammu and Kashmir—flown out of Iran through Armenia after days of aerial assaults and explosions across Iranian cities. The students were first shifted from Tehran to Yerevan before being airlifted to India, in an operation coordinated by the Indian Embassy and supported by Armenian authorities.
Another evacuee, Varta, also from Kashmir, spoke of a similar ordeal. “We were terrified when our neighbourhood was attacked. The situation was critical. But the moment Indian officials reached our door, we felt some sense of relief,” she said.
Some families had already begun to lose hope as fighting intensified. Haider Ali, father of MBBS student Maaz Haider, said, “We are happy and grateful today, but we are still worried for those who are still stuck in Iran. We hope the government doesn’t stop here.”
India’s Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, was at the airport to receive the first group of returnees. In a post on X, he reaffirmed India’s commitment to bringing every citizen home: “Warmly welcomed home the first group of 110 Indian nationals evacuated from Iran as part of Operation Sindhu. Another flight is ready. More will follow.”
Around 600 Indian students, including 500 from Kashmir, have been safely relocated from Qom to Mashhad in Iran as part of the ongoing evacuation efforts amid the escalating conflict in the region, the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) said on Thursday.
Nasir Khuehami said the students had earlier been moved to Qom for safety and remained there for three days before being shifted to Mashhad, a border city located about 1,000 kilometres away. The journey took nearly 15 hours by road. The students belong to institutions such as the Islamic Azad University, Iran University of Medical Sciences, and Shahid Beheshti University.
From Mashhad, the group is expected to travel to Turkmenistan and then fly to Delhi, likely by Friday. JKSA said it remains in constant touch with the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Embassy in Iran to facilitate a smooth and secure evacuation process.
Two Kashmiri students are reported to have sustained shrapnel injuries when an Israeli missile struck a university hostel in Tehran. That incident triggered urgent appeals from families and political leaders in the Valley for immediate evacuation.
While the airlift to Delhi was widely appreciated for its efficiency, criticism soon surfaced over the lack of proper arrangements for students’ onward journey to Jammu and Kashmir. Several students expressed disappointment with the condition of the buses provided by the state authorities.
“The buses are in such bad condition that even animals wouldn’t travel in them,” said one evacuee. “We are thankful to the central government for the evacuation, but what we are facing now is also a safety issue.”
Chief Minister Omar Abdullah responded swiftly to the criticism. His office, in a statement posted on X, said, “The Chief Minister has taken note of the students’ concerns. The Resident Commissioner has been directed to coordinate with JKRTC to ensure proper deluxe buses are arranged.”
Improved transport was arranged later in the day. Still, for the returning students, the trauma of war remains close.
“We are happy to return, but we are still shaken,” said Sheikh Afsa, who studied in Tehran. “The Indian government evacuated us from our dormitory. We never expected this much help. But we are still worried about our future, our studies, and our friends left behind.”
As Operation Sindhu continues, the government has assured that more flights will bring back students and other citizens still stranded in Iran. But for those who have returned, the memories of falling missiles and air raid sirens are unlikely to fade anytime soon.
