A second flight carrying 80 Indian students, predominantly from Jammu and Kashmir, evacuated from crisis-hit Iran via Armenia, landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport on Monday night, officials said.The students were transported from Armenia to Dubai and then flown to the national capital as part of ongoing evacuation efforts coordinated by the Government of India.
Following their arrival in Delhi, the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister’s Office arranged AC sleeper buses for the students’ onward journey to the Union Territory. The arrangements were coordinated by the Chief Minister’s Advisor Nasir Sogami to ensure a safe and smooth return of the students to their homes.
Officials said the buses were deployed to provide safe, comfortable, and timely transportation for evacuated students and pilgrims travelling back to Jammu and Kashmir. The decision was made with the long road journey from Delhi in mind and to provide relief to students who had already undergone a difficult evacuation process amid the prevailing crisis in Iran.Earlier, in the first phase of the evacuation on March 15, more than 70 Indian students—most of them from Jammu and Kashmir—arrived safely at the same airport, bringing relief to their families.
According to media reports, the students travelled from Zvartnots International Airport to Dubai on a Flydubai flight before boarding a connecting flight to New Delhi, which landed at around 9:45 am on Sunday.
Most of the returning students were pursuing studies at universities across Iran, including Urmia University of Medical Sciences and Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Many of them had previously been relocated to safer locations by the Indian Embassy in Tehran due to deteriorating security.
He said the evacuation was facilitated through the coordinated efforts of the Ministry of External Affairs and Indian missions in Tehran and Yerevan, following the issue being raised with senior officials.
Transportation arrangements in Delhi were made after the matter was raised with Advisor to the Chief Minister Nasir Sogami to ensure proper facilities for the returning students. The sleeper buses were stationed in the parking area near the Terminal 3 exit gate to assist arriving passengers.
Many students were exhausted due to continuous travel over the past several days, having undertaken long road and air journeys before finally reaching India. While some students boarded buses for their onward journey to Jammu and Kashmir, others booked connecting flights to Srinagar due to fatigue and the long travel time.
Meanwhile, India has evacuated more than 550 of its nationals from Iran through Armenia, with External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar thanking the government and people of Armenia for facilitating the land-border transit.
“Thank the Government and the people of Armenia for facilitating the safe evacuation of over 550 Indian nationals from Iran so far,” Jaishankar said during his visit to Brussels on Monday.
Earlier, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said that around 9,000 Indians were staying in Iran, including students, seafarers, businesspersons, professionals, and pilgrims.
He said India was assisting those wishing to travel to Armenia and Azerbaijan for onward flights to India amid the escalating conflict in West Asia.
Several Indian nationals, including students and pilgrims, had already been moved from Tehran to other safer locations and cities within Iran as part of the ongoing evacuation process.
