SRINAGAR: "Bombs are falling everywhere, and they don't choose where to land. That uncertainty gnaws at me inside," said a young Kashmiri medical student, speaking anonymously from her apartment in Tehran, where thin walls are shaking, dust is falling through cracks, and sirens wailing in the streets below.
She is one of approximately 1,100 Kashmiri students currently stranded in Iran, caught in the crossfire of an escalating conflict that has shut universities, cut internet access, and left families thousands of miles away watching helplessly on WhatsApp, waiting for a call or message.
The Indian government has established emergency support channels and issued evacuation guidance, but students report they are largely bearing the financial and logistical costs of their own escape.
Learning to Survive in War Zone
For students who came to Iran to become doctors, the past several days have been a real-time, self-learned crash course in survival.
Saleem Ahmad (name changed), enrolled at Iran University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, described the physical sensation of nearby missile strikes. "When one hits nearby, the air fills with a deafening boom, the ground trembles underfoot, and windows rattle in their frames," he said.
"I can only whisper La ilaha illallah."
His parents call repeatedly. On one video call, made possible only through a VPN before internet access deteriorated further, he watched tears stream down his mother's face as his father urged him to stay safe and come home.
"Amid the blackouts and distant sirens, those moments replay in my mind," he said.
The anonymous student in Tehran described a similar psychological unravelling. "When the internet still worked, all I saw were bombs lighting up Iran's skies," she said.
"Now, with the internet barely functioning amid power flickers, those images linger in my mind, triggering anxiety and panic attacks." She reported having a panic attack days ago, not from a strike but from the fear of being caught in a war zone.
"I came here to earn my degree, become a doctor, and help people back in Kashmir," she added. "But if this continues, with sleepless nights interrupted by explosions and streets filled with shattered glass, I'll end up needing psychiatric care myself."
'The Situation Worsens by the Hour'
Nargis, a final-semester MBBS student at Urmia University of Medical Sciences who was in Tehran at the time, said bombs were audible every fifteen minutes. "It felt like death could come at any moment," she said. "I've never seen anything like this, even in earlier conflicts."
Having repeatedly witnessed bombs falling, and buildings turning into debris and dust, the last few days are taking a toll on her mental health. “The beeping sounds are the worst,” she said. They bring a sense of dread and foreboding.
“At times, I wonder why I came here," Nargis said.
The internet blackout compounded the terror. "With the complete blockade, contacting family or officials has been nearly impossible," she said.
The Kashmir Times contacted her and other students after many efforts. Some of the students were using VPNs and were able to connect.
Her university's response added a further layer of distress. When the Indian Embassy advised students to leave Iran, Urmia University reportedly refused to cooperate, warning students they would be failed if they departed. "We stayed out of fear," Nargis said. Now, with universities and hospitals closed, she describes herself as simply stuck.
Yasir, a student from Anantnag, who has been studying in Iran for three years, said the intensity of this conflict surpassed anything he had witnessed before. He noted that unrest escalated sharply following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with people taking to the streets in anger.
"In such chaos, the mind does not work properly," he said. "My mental state is deteriorating from witnessing this conflict repeatedly."
Most students, he noted, are funded by bank loans. If the situation continues and degrees cannot be completed, years of debt will have bought them nothing.
Cost of Evacuation
On March 12, the Indian government facilitated the evacuation of a group of students through embassy officials, who have maintained close contact throughout the crisis.
Yasir was among those who travelled through the night, arriving in Armenia by morning. "The world feels different here," he said, describing the contrast between the debris of Tehran and open Armenian skies. He, however, added that fear would not leave him until he was safely home.
But the evacuation has been neither swift nor complete. Airspace over Iran remains closed, forcing those who managed to leave the country to travel by land to the Armenian border.
Others are still stranded in Iran. Saleem made an urgent appeal to the Government of India: please evacuate us soon.
“We live in constant fear, hiding in our rented flats during alerts, and urgently need help to return safely,” he said.
For students who do manage to leave, freedom comes at a price many cannot afford.
Crossing into Armenia costs approximately $100 per student. From there, they are on their own. Flights from Armenia back to India are running close to ₹50,000 ($600). Families in Kashmir say they cannot raise this sum at short notice, particularly when many students are already funded by student bank loans.
In a video circulating from Arak, a city in central Iran where a strike hit today, students spoke directly to camera. "So far, there is no arrangement for our relocation," one said. "We are very worried."
Students in Arak described ticket prices of ₹70,000 to ₹80,000, with many flights cancelled outright and refunds delayed. Money already spent on tickets is, for now, simply gone.
A WhatsApp group for parents of stranded students has a deluge of anxious updates and incomplete information. One message, shared by the sister of a student, relayed a distressing account: the Indian Embassy had told students it would help them only as far as the border crossing. Beyond that, students would be on their own without local currency and without logistical support to reach any onward airport.
Families describe the prospect of students navigating an unfamiliar country in wartime, with no funds and no guidance, as deeply alarming.
"The government calls this an evacuation," they said, "but we bear all expenses ourselves." The bus arranged by the Indian Embassy, they clarified, takes students only as far as the Embassy building. Everything beyond that falls on the students themselves.
Students Coordinating with Embassy
The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association has been in active contact with both students on the ground and embassy officials throughout the crisis, working to facilitate safety and evacuation.
The All India Medical Students Association praised the Indian government's engagement but called for the immediate evacuation of all remaining students still inside Iran.
The association also raised a specific logistical concern. A number of students had submitted their passports to Iranian authorities for visa extensions before the conflict escalated. Those passports have not been returned. Without them, evacuation is impossible.
The association has formally requested the Ministry of External Affairs to intervene and secure their prompt return.
The Ministry of External Affairs has issued advisories for the estimated 9,000 Indian nationals currently in Iran — a group that includes not only students but also businesspeople, factory workers, pilgrims, seafarers, and fishermen.
The Indian Embassy in Tehran has urged citizens to avoid non-essential travel and to use available departure routes while exercising caution and monitoring local developments. A special control room has been established in New Delhi, and the Tehran Embassy is operating emergency helplines alongside an email support service for those who are stranded or in distress.
The Embassy has said it is assisting those who wish to return home, including through land border crossings. The gap between that stated assistance and the financial reality reported by students on the ground remains, for now, unresolved.
Member Parliament, Aga Ruhullah Mehdi is also coordinating between the students and the embassy.
Slow, Partial, and Uncertain
The stranded students have been careful to express gratitude toward the Government of India and the Ministry of External Affairs for engaging with their situation, and toward embassy staff who have remained reachable by phone.
But gratitude, several made clear, does not substitute for speed.
"In times like these, speed matters," the anonymous Tehran student said. Her voice, she acknowledged, was broken even as she spoke. “Airstrikes continue nonstop, bombs drop close by, shaking the building and sending dust through cracks. I'm terrified…..I can barely speak properly,” she said, her tone erratic and words struggling to come out. The fear and panic could be heard in her voice.
Amidst that panic, she made a final plea: "Please don't wait for it to get worse. Just help us. Get us out now."
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