A special evacuation flight carrying 290 Indian students stranded in conflict-hit Iran landed safely in New Delhi late Friday night, marking the first phase of India’s Operation Sindhu. Two more chartered flights, including one from Ashgabat, are scheduled to arrive later on Saturday.
As the students stepped onto Indian soil, chants of ‘Bharat Mata ki Jai’ and ‘Hindustan Zindabad’ echoed through Delhi Airport, capturing the relief and patriotism of the returnees.
Iran Opens Airspace Amid Conflict
Despite ongoing regional hostilities, Iran made a humanitarian exception by opening its airspace to facilitate the evacuation. Mohammad Javad Hosseini, deputy chief of mission at the Iranian Embassy in Delhi, said, “We’re allowing limited access to our airspace for Indian nationals’ safe evacuation and are coordinating closely with the Indian government.”
Students Recall Horror and Gratitude
Several evacuees shared emotional accounts of their time in Iran:
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Sehrish Rafique, an MBBS student, said, “At first, we didn’t expect it to escalate so much. The situation turned devastating. All Kashmiris are really thankful to the Indian government.”
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Tazkiya Fatima from Noida added, “We weren’t sure how we’d make it out. But the Government of India made the process very smooth.”
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Mir Mohammad Musharraf from Pulwama recalled, “We were stuck in Tehran. Even our landlords fled. It was only the Indian Embassy that helped us reach safety.”
Many students thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for prioritizing their evacuation and praised MEA officials and embassy staff for the timely and efficient operation.
According to the Ministry of External Affairs, 190 of the 290 evacuees are from Jammu and Kashmir. MEA Secretary Arun Kumar Chatterjee said, “Iran’s support in opening its airspace reflects the strength of India-Iran relations.”
