NEW DELHI: With US-Israel joint strikes against Iran expanding across the country, nearly 100 Indian medical students at the Shiraz University of Medical Sciences in Shiraz province in southwestern Iran were impacted on Friday night.
“The students, who are in their fourth and final year of MBBS, had to rush to the basement of their university hostel for cover. A massive explosion took place at the passport office located near their university late Friday night,” said Dr Mohammad Momin, national representative of the All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA).
The students wanted to leave as soon as the advisory was issued by the Government of India regarding the precarious situation in Iran, but impending university examinations forced them to stay back, Dr Momin added.
Missiles also reached the city of Arak in northwestern Iran on Saturday. Fazil Ahmad Khan, a medical student at Arak University of Medical Sciences, said he was frightened after witnessing the developments.
“I saw missiles being intercepted yesterday. It is very frightening to witness it live,” he said.
Meanwhile, only about 50% of the students stranded at the Urmia University of Medical Sciences are willing to accept the option offered by the Embassy of India in Iran to fly back to India via Armenia.
PDP seeks PM Modi's intervention
A majority of the roughly 1,000 students still in Iran hail from Jammu and Kashmir. Mehbooba Mufti, president of the People’s Democratic Party and former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, on Saturday appealed to Narendra Modi to ensure their safety and called for their urgent evacuation.
In a post on X, she urged the prime minister to intervene personally.
“As the situation rapidly deteriorates in Iran, thousands of students from J&K studying there are currently stranded. I urge PM Modiji to personally intervene to ensure their safe passage home and also request External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar to initiate evacuation efforts at the earliest,” she wrote.
