By The Sampadak Express
Indian authorities are relocating some Indian students in Iran to safer places in the face of continuing Israeli attacks and are exploring “other feasible options” to ensure the safety of Indians, the external affairs ministry said on Monday.
The Indian embassy in Tehran is “continuously monitoring the security situation and engaging Indian students in Iran to ensure their safety”, the ministry said in a statement following a protest in Srinagar on Sunday by parents of Indian students in Kashmir.“
In some cases, students are being relocated with [the] Embassy’s facilitation to safer places within Iran. Other feasible options are also under examination. Further updates will follow,” the ministry said.
The Indian embassy is in touch with Indian community leaders regarding the welfare and safety of Indians, the ministry said.
Iran is currently home to more than 4,000 Indian nationals, about half of them students. Many of the Indian students in Iran are from Jammu and Kashmir and are enrolled in medical and other professional courses. Kashmiri students usually opt for Iranian universities because of their affordability and similar cultural milieu. The students are spread across cities such as Tehran, Shiraz and Qom.
Dozens of people participated in the protest in Srinagar on Sunday, urging the government to evacuate Indian students from Iran. They said some of the students were in cities targeted by Israeli strikes.
Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah said in a social media post on Sunday that he had spoken to external affairs minister S Jaishankar, currently accompanying Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a three-nation tour of Cyprus, Canada and Croatia, on the situation in Iran, especially the welfare and safety of Kashmiri students.
Abdullah said Jaishankar had assured him that the external affairs ministry is in close contact with its counterpart in Iran and “will take all necessary steps to safeguard all Indian students in Iran”.
He said in a separate social media post that any decision to evacuate Indian students from Iran “will be taken based on the ground situation keeping the safety & security of these students as the primary consideration”. He added: “As a parent I assure all the concerned parents of my government’s close & continuous attention to this important developing situation.”
