‘Blasts around us': Indians in Iran seek evacuation

Lucknow: Sabia (name changed), a fourth-year MBBS student at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, recalled the fear that gripped her when fighter jets roared over the campus and sirens pierced the skies.
"On Saturday, I heard jets overhead and sirens blaring. It was unusual — Tehran is mostly peaceful. We rushed to take shelter with other students," Sabia, who hails from Lucknow, told TOI over a call from an undisclosed location.
"Later, it was confirmed that Israel hit Iran. Panic spread across the campus. Soon after, we were moved to the city of Qom, 140km south of Tehran, with other Indian students," she said.But Qom, too, didn't stay safe for long.
"Our hopes for safety were dashed, as attacks began there as well. We thought things would improve but, instead, we were relocated again to a secret location," Sabia said.
She said around 110 Indian medical students were recently shifted from Iran to a safer location in Armenia amid rising hostilities between Iran and Israel. She said around 1,500 Indian students still remain in Iran, pursuing different courses.
Along with her, there are four students from Lucknow, while others hail from Bengaluru, Delhi, and other parts of India.
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Though they are currently safe and being taken care of, the students are worried.
"Our families are deeply anxious. I am worried about the future and how the course will continue. My father and brothers constantly monitor the news. Embassies of other countries evacuated their students through the borders, but we are still waiting for clear answers," Sabia said.
"We appeal to the Indian embassy to rescue us and help us return to India," she said.
Her current term was scheduled to end in mid-August after an academic break, and she was likely to return to India then. However, classes are now suspended indefinitely.
When asked why Indian students opt for Iran, Sabia said affordability and simpler entrance procedures are the main reasons. "Private medical colleges in India are expensive. Here, the cost is far more manageable," she said.
A full six-year MBBS programme at Tehran University of Medical Sciences costs between Rs 22 lakh to Rs 28 lakh, including tuition and academic fees, she says.
In contrast, private Indian medical colleges charge anywhere upwards of Rs 25 lakh per year.
Most Iranian medical universities are recognized by the Indian govt and the WHO. Students returning to India are required to clear the Foreign Medical Graduate Examination (FMGE) and complete a one-year internship to receive a medical licence here.
Despite the current care and safety, the uncertainty has left the students unsettled. "We just want to get home. We hope the situation improves soon — for all of us here, and for everyone affected by the conflict," Sabia says.

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