‘Lived in basement for 2 weeks, barely moved out’: Second batch of stranded Indians in Iran returns

AEndorse repatriation flight of stairs carrying amerindic students stranded in war-worn islamic republic of iran arrived in New Delhi late on Monday. The flight with dozens of stranded Indians on board flew from Armenia capital Yerevan to New Delhi after a layover in Dubai.“Till the time I don’t see my family in Kashmir, I won’t feel like I have returned home,” said 23-year-old Labeeb Qadri who arrived at the Indira Gandhi International airport along with dozens of other students.The flight was delayed by nearly 12 hours after completing its first leg between Yerevan and Dubai due to a temporary suspension of flight operations by the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority.The group travelled by bus from universities across Iran to the Iran–Armenia border, crossed into Armenia, and then flew from Yerevan to Dubai before boarding a connecting flight to Delhi, as Iranian airspace remains closed following the war that began on February 28.Also Read: First batch of nearly 70 Indians stuck in Iran returns; students recount ‘panic’ amid warQadri, who spent past five days travelling and is pursuing MBBS from Iran’s Urmia University, said after spending nearly two weeks in constant fear of losing life, he still can’t process that he has returned back safely.“When we were in Iran there was constant bombing, then once we crossed the border we thought we are safe. Just when we were on the last leg of our journey in Dubai, multiple drone attack happened at the airport. We were stranded first in Iran then in Dubai. So, I am still unable to process that we have reached India,” said Qadri. “We were in complete lockdown and constantly lived in the fear that the next bomb could be dropped on our hostel,” Qadri added.All other students from my university those who belonged to the land border countries of Iran or nearby nations had already returned and it was just us the Indian students who were there.“Students from Iraq, Turkey, and Pakistan had all left. It was just us around 45 Indian students who were left. We stayed in the basement for nearly two weeks, and barely moved out. In case, we needed to do some really necessary shopping, we would go out in groups,” the 23-year-old told HT while recalling what he described as his most traumatic experience.Another student, who is in the 5th year of her MBBS degree from Tehran University of Medical Sciences and hails from Kashmir’s Srinagar, said the relocation provided temporary relief. However, the sense of deep relief can now be felt since she has finally arrived in India, she added while constantly holding hands of mother who stood next to her wiping her tears as her daughter narrated the horrific scenes from the ongoing war.Also Read: Indians in Iran cross into Armenia, Azerbaijan amid West Asia tensions, MEA shares update“It was just horrible. The Indian Embassy shifted us from Tehran to a hotel in a comparatively safer place. We stayed there in the hotel for 3-4 days, but then the war started becoming more aggressive,” the student said.Similarly, Rihanna Khan, mother fourth-year MBBS student Adhfar Khan, stood outside gate no. 4 of T3 arrival section at the Delhi airport, with her eyes only moving between the door and the phone, tracking every moment of her daughter since the flight landed at the airport.“Just 3-4 days before the war started. She had asked us to sent some money and later we were glad that we did because as the war started, we could barely know anything about her,” said Khan who’s daughter had gone back to Iran on February 13. “Several of us parents were constantly in touch. When we booked her flight and she reached Dubai— we were relieved, but then the flight got delayed, making us anxious again,” Khan added.This marks the second flight that arrived at the Delhi airport carrying stranded Indians. On Sunday morning, the first evacuation flight carrying around 80 people, including students and pilgrims had arrived on time. But this was delayed by nearly 12 hours as the Dubai Civil Aviation Authority temporarily suspending flight operations for few hours and later resumed in the evening.“DCAA announces temporary suspension of flights at Dubai International Airport as a precautionary measure to ensure safety of all passengers and staff,” the DCAA had said in a post on X on March 16.