New Delhi, June 21 – In a major relief to anxious families, a Mahan Air flight carrying 256 Indian students landed safely at Delhi Airport on Saturday evening. Most of the students are residents of the Kashmir Valley and had been stranded in Iran amid rising tensions in West Asia.
Visibly tired and shaken, several students shared their experiences of fear and uncertainty during their time in Iran. The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association expressed gratitude to the Indian government for its timely intervention. In an official statement, the association said, “We thank the Government of India for coordinating efforts with Iranian authorities. We remain committed to ensuring the safe evacuation of the remaining students, especially those from remote regions.”
Another evacuation flight is expected to land in Delhi around 11:30 PM tonight, as part of the ongoing ‘Operation Sindhu’.
This marks the second evacuation flight from Iran to India within 24 hours. A separate flight from Mashhad had arrived in Delhi late Friday night, carrying 290 Indian students, predominantly from Jammu and Kashmir.
Indian officials coordinated with their Iranian counterparts to facilitate the movement of students from Tehran to Mashhad so they could board the rescue flights. In a significant gesture, Iran opened its airspace to assist with the evacuation.
Overall, around 1,000 Indian nationals are being brought home through special evacuation flights. Two more flights are scheduled to arrive, including one from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, expected around 3 AM on Sunday.
The Students Association extended heartfelt thanks to the Indian government, the Ministry of External Affairs, and all involved officials for their timely support.
‘Operation Sindhu’ was launched by the Ministry of External Affairs last week following the escalation of conflict between Israel and Iran. Earlier, on Thursday, 110 Indian students were safely evacuated via Armenia and Doha.
