Jahangeer Ganaie

Srinagar, Mar 12 : The first batch of Indian students has left from Iran as repatriation process began in a phased manner amid the ongoing war in the Middle East. The students will be repatriated from war-hit Iran via Armenia and Azerbaijan borders.

According to details available with the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO) Indian students studying in various Iranian medical universities have started travelling by buses towards border points with Armenia and Azerbaijan from where they will be flown back to India.

The first batch includes students from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences (SBUMS), Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) and Iran University of Medical Sciences (IUMS), who had earlier been shifted to the city of Qom for safety and logistical arrangements.

Another group of students studying at Urmia University of Medical Sciences has also begun their journey towards the Armenia border.

Officials familiar with the repatriation process said that the Indian Embassy in Tehran is closely coordinating the phased movement of students through Armenia and Azerbaijan routes to ensure their safe return to India.

On Wednesday, panic broke out among students after some of them received notifications that their scheduled flights from Armenia had been cancelled.

Dr Mohammad Momin Khan, who has been assisting in coordinating communication with authorities and students, assured them that flights had been rescheduled and will be operational.

The students are expected to land at Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi on March 15, while a smaller group is likely to arrive a day earlier, on March 14, at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai.

Meanwhile, students and their families expressed relief, urging authorities to ensure that the remaining students are safely transported and brought back to India without further delays—(KNO)