India warns of ‘heightened risk’ in Tehran, moves hundreds of students to safety

The Indian embassy said “only a small number” of Indian students, who declined the mission’s offer to be relocated, remained in Tehran.

Hundreds of Indian students have been moved from the Iranian capital of Tehran to safer locations, including the city of Qom, people familiar with the matter said on Tuesday amid the widening of the Iran-US conflict and continuing American and Israeli bombardment of the country.

A plume of smoke rises following a US-Israeli military strike in Tehran, Iran on March 3. (AP)

The Indian embassy in Tehran said in a statement that “most Indian students” in Tehran had been relocated to safer places outside the city because of the “heightened risk perception” in the Iranian capital. The embassy made arrangements for their transportation, food and accommodation.

The people cited above said there were some 300 Indian students in Tehran, mostly from Jammu and Kashmir, and most of them had been shifted to Qom and other cities. There are some 3,000 Indian students in Iran, including about 2,000 from Jammu and Kashmir. About 1,000 Indian students had left Iran when widespread protests against the government erupted last December, they said.

The Indian embassy said “only a small number” of Indian students, who declined the mission’s offer to be relocated, remained in Tehran. The embassy reiterated its earlier advisory urging Indians in Iran to stay where they are, remain indoors, avoid unnecessary movements, exercise due caution, and avoid all areas witnessing protests or demonstrations.

The embassy also called on Indian nationals to remain in regular contact with the mission.

There have been no reports so far of Indian casualties in the Israeli and US attacks on Iran, which have killed more than 780 people since the weekend.

There are some 9,000 Indians in Tehran, including petty traders, theological students and a small number of professionals. The number has declined in recent years because of regional tensions and the downturn in trade relations. Shia pilgrims from India also travel to Iran every year, but their numbers too have fallen in recent years.

The Iran-US conflict has widened with Tehran launching attacks against several West Asian countries, including those housing American military bases, after Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in a strike on his office compound in the capital on Saturday.

Many students still stranded in parts of Iran

Meanwhile, several Indian students particularly staying in places like Urmia and Khuzestan Province feel stranded amid constantly deteriorating security situation with no option to return, and limited communication from family and friends.

For 23-year-old Labeeb Qadri, a native of Srinagar currently pursuing an MBBS at Urmia University, every minute is fraught with fear as missiles are being launched. “The situation has not been good at all for the last few days. Here in Urmia, attacks are taking place repeatedly. About one hour ago, an attack happened just 300 metres from my dormitory,” said Qadri.

Another student said poor internet connectivity as stranded them digitally as well from family and friends. “We don’t have proper internet access, only view have access to Virtual Private Network (VPN) and that too works quite slowly and it takes so so longer time to deliver just one message,” said Asif Gulzar, who belongs to Jammu and Kashmir’s Pattan Baramulla and is a third-year MBBS student in Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Science.

Other students told HT that the Indian Embassy has advised them to stay indoors since evacuation is currently impossible, and they are managing amid the uncertainty with support from locals and the university.