SRINAGAR: More than 200 Indian students studying at Bashkir State Medical University in Ufa, Russia, are returning home in despair after a wave of mass expulsions shattered their aspirations to become doctors. Alleging systematic exploitation for financial gain, students and their families say the university deliberately targeted Indian students, many of them in their second and third years, with harsh penalties over minor academic or attendance issues.
A notice issued by the university on June 9, written in Russian, lists 234 foreign students, most of them Indian, as ineligible to appear for exams. The reason cited: failure to “conscientiously master the educational programme and complete the curriculum.” Students claim they were expelled without due process and under threats, and many were forced to sign “self-expulsion” notices to obtain exit visas.
According to several students who spoke to The Hindu and other outlets on condition of anonymity, the university admitted far more students than its actual capacity, particularly from India. The All Foreign Medical Graduates’ Association (AFA) alleged that while the university’s official intake for Indian students is around 200, more than 1,000–1,200 were being admitted each year, many through Indian education consultants.
Bashkir State Medical University, Russia is expelling hundreds of Indian students. The main individuals responsible for this, as reported by students, are Zeeshan Ali from Kashmir and Dean Rasool Farshatov. #abroadmbbs #MedTwitter @official_afa_ @DrDhruvchauhan @IndEmbMoscow pic.twitter.com/rDhYJlnVGa
— Dr Deepak Aanjna (@dr_deepakaanjna) June 20, 2025
A third-year student from Maharashtra who flew back to India on Saturday night said, “They admitted us knowing we couldn’t transfer to other universities because of National Medical Commission (NMC) rules. Now, after spending Rs 20–25 lakh, we’re expelled and told to start from scratch.”
Under current NMC guidelines, Indian students studying abroad must complete their entire course, including internship, at the same institution. The inability to transfer mid-course, students say, has become a tool of coercion in the hands of foreign universities.
Students recounted a chilling environment of racism, arbitrary academic decisions, and psychological harassment. “Some teachers mock our Indian identity, speak derogatorily, and mark us absent even when present. We live in hostels 15 km away and are marked absent for being 5 minutes late in freezing temperatures,” said another expelled student.
Several described an institutional culture that deliberately set students up for failure. “Despite clearing backlogs and making up absences due to medical or visa issues, we were still barred from exams. One student even said they hadn’t watched a single movie or taken a break in three years, due to the constant stress and fear.”
In a particularly disturbing case, a student was reportedly forced to sign expulsion papers after being accused of not clearing biochemistry. “They threatened that I wouldn’t be allowed to re-enter the country if I refused to sign,” he said.
Adding to the crisis, students alleged financial misconduct within the university. A currency exchange scam saw nearly Rs 1 crore collected from Indian students disappear after being gambled in cryptocurrency. The student responsible was allegedly aided by the university administration in fleeing Russia, despite exit controls. “Our migration cards were with the university. Without the dean’s help, he couldn’t have left,” a student claimed.
Another layer of harassment involved students being forced to clean hostels and hospitals without pay, despite having paid for those services. “Even our basic human dignity was not respected,” a student said.
Though the Indian Embassy in Russia conducted a visit to the university in June and shared photos on its website, students claim no meaningful action followed. “We were threatened with expulsion even in the presence of embassy officials,” one student alleged.
A viral video from June appears to show students confronting both Indian and university officials, exposing the hostile conditions they were living under. Yet, despite widespread attention, students say their emails to the Indian government and the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare have gone unanswered.
The All Foreign Medical Graduates’ Association has called for an immediate review of NMC policies. “We urge the NMC to allow transfers for students facing extreme exploitation. Without this flexibility, students remain trapped,” said Dr Kaushal, the association’s media coordinator.
The AFA also urged the Indian Embassy in Russia to intervene directly and demanded formal action against universities engaging in “predatory education practices.”
The scandal highlights a larger crisis in India’s medical education system. Many of the expelled students had respectable NEET-UG scores but could not secure seats in government medical colleges. Private Indian colleges were unaffordable, leaving foreign universities as the only viable option—until now.
One parent, who had spent Rs 25 lakh on their daughter’s education, said, “This is a nightmare. Consultants promised quality education, and now our children are returning with nothing.”
Students are now calling this experience not just a personal tragedy but a systemic failure—a convergence of unethical foreign institutions, regulatory inflexibility, and inadequate diplomatic protection. As one expelled student put it, “Our medical dreams were not just shattered—they were sold, exploited, and discarded.”
Unless swift intervention takes place, the “Bashkir expulsion crisis” may become a defining symbol of the vulnerabilities faced by Indian students pursuing education abroad, and the need for better protections to ensure their futures are not sacrificed in the name of revenue.
