Operation Sindhu: First evacuee flight with Indian students from war-torn Iran lands in Delhi | WATCH

New Delhi: The first flight carrying 110 Indian students, evacuated from war-torn Iran to Armenia, landed in Delhi in the early hours of Thursday, marking a significant milestone in the Indian government's ongoing Operation Sindhu.

Amid the escalating conflict between Israel and Iran, Indian students in Tehran were swiftly relocated, with 110 of them crossing into Armenia on Tuesday. The operation was coordinated by the Indian Embassy and supported by the Armenian authorities.

Minister of State for External Affairs, Kirti Vardhan Singh, confirmed that further evacuations were underway.

“We have planes ready. We will be sending another plane today. We are evacuating some more people from Turkmenistan. Our missions have opened 24-hour lines for any request for evacuation. As the situation evolves, we will be sending more planes to evacuate Indian nationals,” said Singh, who also holds the portfolio for Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He extended his gratitude to the governments of Turkmenistan and Armenia for their assistance.

Among the students who landed in Delhi was Varta, a young woman from Kashmir, who recalled the harrowing conditions in Iran.

“We were the first ones to be evacuated from Iran. The situation was quite critical. We were terrified. We thank the Indian government and Indian embassy who worked very fast and swiftly to bring us here.

“Our neighbourhood was attacked. When the Indian government came to our doorstep it felt like home,” she told PTI-Videos, adding that Armenian authorities were also very helpful during the interim stay.

Mir Khalif, an MBBS student, echoed the same sentiments.

“We could see missiles. There was a war going on. Our neighbourhood was bombed. We were very afraid of the situation. I hope we will never see those days again,” he said.

Khalif thanked the government for their quick response and for airlifting them from Armenia back to India.

“There are students still stuck in Iran. They are being relocated to safer places. We hope they will also be airlifted to India soon,” he added.

Ali Akbar, another student from Delhi, described a chilling experience during their evacuation.

“While we were travelling in a bus, we saw a missile and a drone falling. The situation that has been shown in the news is correct. It is extremely bad. Tehran has been destroyed,” he said.

Outside the Delhi airport, emotional scenes unfolded as anxious parents reunited with their children. Haider Ali, father of 21-year-old MBBS student Maaz Haider, expressed relief but also concern.

“We are really happy. The students have been brought back home safely. We thank the Indian government for this. But we are sad that students, who are stuck in Tehran, have not been rescued,” he told PTI Videos, urging authorities to expedite the remaining evacuations.

Parvez Alam, whose son Sameer has been studying in Urmia for two years, shared his family's ordeal.

“Everything was fine but recently the situation deteriorated. We were under a lot of stress. But the Indian government evacuated students to Armenia where they were kept in good hotels. We are thankful to the Indian government,” the Bulandshahr resident said.

The Jammu and Kashmir Students’ Association also issued a statement, expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar for launching the evacuation operation.

“We remain hopeful that all remaining students will be evacuated soon,” the statement read.