Students from Kashmir moved out of Tehran, reach Qom

Srinagar, Mar 4: Indian embassy in Tehran on Wednesday said students from India had been moved safely out of Tehran to mitigate risks due to ongoing strikes in the capital city.

The embassy has set up control rooms for facilitating evacuation efforts.

Back in Kashmir, panic struck families urge expedited efforts for safe return of their children from war-hit country.

On Wednesday, a video widely circulated on social media showed students travelling on a bus to what appears to be a place away from Tehran.

According to an update shared by the embassy, the students have been relocated for their safety.

ìDue to the heightened risk perception in Tehran city, the Embassy of India has relocated most Indian students who were in Tehran to safer locations outside Tehran,î the embassy said.

It said that arrangements for their transportation, food, and accommodation had been put in place.

However, some students have declined the embassy’s offer and continue to remain in Tehran.

For those, who still remain in Iran, the advisory issued earlier remains unchanged, the embassy said.

They have been advised to stay where they are, remain indoors as far as possible, and stay away from windows.

They must exercise due caution at all times and avoid areas of protests or demonstrations, the advisory said.

According to social media posts of students in Iran, they were unable to leave the country earlier due to the perception that the situation would improve as talks were in pipeline.

In addition, the students have said that their final exams were also weeks away, and they did not want to miss the exams and waste another year.

In addition, many students stuck in Iran said they were unable to put the logistics together as there were only two flights per week from Teran to New Delhi.

Meanwhile, parents of students in Iran held sit-ins in many parts of Kashmir.

The parents expressed their concern over the safety of their wards in Iran amidst the escalation of  violence.

ìWe have no contact with our children. We donít know where they are and how they are,î the parentsí delegation said.

They urged Ministry of Externa Affairs, GoI, to expedite the evacuation efforts in view of the violent situation in Iran.

The Indian embassy in Iran has directed the students to remain in regular contact with it through the numbers provided.

The emergency contact helplines of its offices in Iran are +989128109115,  +989128109109, +989128109102, and +989932179359.

On Tuesday,  Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the students from Kashmir currently in Iran were being moved to relatively safer areas in the country.

A day earlier, Consulate General of Islamic Republic of Iran Saeid Reza Mosayeb Motlagh had said that students and other residents from India would be permitted to leave the country through designated border points.

He said that they would not require any document except their passport to pass the border into other countries.