Indian students in Iran urge embassy evacuation after nearby explosions
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New Delhi: More than 100 Indian students in Iran’s Urmia city are living in fear after explosions struck close to their dormitories amid escalating US–Israel–Iran hostilities, with students urging the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to arrange their swift rescue.
An explosion occurred barely 300 metres from their dormitory, a Kashmiri medical student said on Tuesday, describing a worsening security situation. Labeeb Qadri from Srinagar, a final-year MBBS student at Urmia University of Medical Sciences, said attacks have been taking place continuously in recent days.
“The situation has not been good at all for the last few days. Here in Urmia, attacks are taking place continuously. About one hour ago, an explosion happened just 300 metres from our dormitory,” he said over the phone. He added that another strike had taken place outside their dormitory earlier in the day.
According to Qadri, around 110 Indian students — nearly 50 boys and a similar number of girls — are currently staying in dormitories located in the centre of the city.
Responding to questions about why students did not leave earlier after advisories were issued, Qadri said most had flight tickets for February 28 and March 6. “In Iran, only one or two flights operate to India per week, so we couldn't leave earlier,” he said.
He explained that many students believed the situation would improve as diplomatic talks were underway. “Because talks were ongoing, we assumed everything would improve. But now we are stuck here, and we don't know what to do,” he added.
Another student, Musa Rauf, said the explosion near the dormitory left students shaken. “We urge the embassy to rescue us as soon as possible, by any means necessary. The situation has escalated quite rapidly. So, it was not really up to us to leave early,” he said.
Rauf also pointed to the scarcity of flights as a key reason students could not depart in time. He appealed to the Indian embassy to evacuate them to neighbouring Armenia if possible, calling it a safer option.
The conflict began last Saturday with coordinated US-Israeli airstrikes on Iran, in which Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed. Since then, attacks and counter-attacks have intensified across the region.
Qadri said students are now relying entirely on guidance from the Indian Embassy. “Right now, they have told us there is no possible way to get out, so it's better to stay indoors. Whatever the embassy tells us, we are going to follow that,” he said.
Meanwhile, the MEA stated that Indian missions in the region remain in continuous contact with Indian nationals and that helplines have been activated.
The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has appealed to External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and the MEA to facilitate the relocation of Indian students to safer areas within Iran until a full evacuation becomes feasible.
“We are not asking for panic-driven decisions, but for preventive and protective action. These students are living under constant fear. Immediate relocation to safer zones within Iran is essential before the situation worsens further,” said JKSA national convenor Nasir Khuehami.
With PTI inputs