NEW DELHI: Nearly 70 out of 101 medical students who left Iran on Saturday reached Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday morning via Armenia and Dubai.
Meanwhile, another batch, roughly comprising over 80 students are stranded at the Iran border and is presently unable to enter Azerbaijan due to visa issues.
All Indian students in Iran are trying to leave the country due to the escalating geopolitical tensions in Iran.
FlyDubai flight FZ 441 landed at Delhi at 9.45 am, and immigration clearances consumed time as the students exited Terminal 3. They immediately boarded buses or flights to leave for Jammu & Kashmir, as most of the students hailed from the place.
A few hours earlier, another flight landed at Mumbai airport carrying 30-odd students, studying in Iran. The Indian Embassy in Iran facilitated the safe travel of the students upto Armenia, from where they left by flight to Dubai and then by separate flights to Mumbai and Delhi.
Students who reached Delhi were studying at Urmia University of Medical Sciences, Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences.
Dr Mohammed Momin Khan, National Vice President of the All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA), said, “The students were in an angry frame of mind and did not want to interact with anyone. They wanted the Government of India to do more for them. They have spent a lot of money to reach India.” This view was backed by the national convenor of J & K Students Association, Nasir Kheuhami.
Apart from spending Rs 3,000 for their bus journey to Armenia, they had to pay for their hotel stay as well as the flight fare, which cost above Rs 60,000 per ticket.
Khan added that buses were arranged by the J & K government at the airport for the students to travel towards Kashmir. “However, only six students used the government buses while the rest chose to travel on their own through private buses or by flights,” he added.
Notably, the batch of students from Islamic Azad University and Iran University of Medical Sciences who have reached Azerbaijan are stuck on the Iranian side of its border due to visa issues.
“Students are in a state of panic as they have booked flight tickets to India from Azerbaijan. A parent explained to the association that the country used to process 50 visas per day, but has reduced to only 15 visas per day, now. The Indian Embassy is actively working on the matter to facilitate the process so that students can return to their country at the earliest,” he added.
