Alipur village in Karnataka awaits return of residents from strife-torn Iran
Bengaluru: Amid raging Iran-Israel hostilities, fear and anxiety have gripped the tiny hamlet of Alipur — located 70 km from Bengaluru — with 105 villagers from there currently stranded in Iran.
Alipur in Gauribidanur taluk of Chikkaballapur district is one of the few Muslim-majority villages in the state — constituting 90% of the population, with Shias make up 99% of the community.
Linked by spiritual, religious, socio-cultural, and educational bonds, Alipur has fostered a close relationship with Iran for decades, and several services had been initiated in the village in collaboration with the Iranian govt.
Iran's current supreme leader Ali Khamenei's visit to Alipur in 1981-82 to inaugurate a hospital built in collaboration with the Iran govt marks the high point in the village's ties with the West Asian country.
According to the villagers, while a few of the youngsters from Alipur are studying medicine at Tehran University, the majority are enrolled at the prestigious Shia seminaries and Islamic research institutes to become Islamic clerics.
Besides, some have also gone on an annual pilgrimage to the holy city Mashhad — the second most populous city in Iran.
"The families back home were anxious, as panic gripped the village ever since tensions rose between Iran and Israel. There are about 105 citizens from Alipur who are currently stranded at various locations across Iran," said Shafeeq Abidi, a resident.
"Currently, around 15 students are pursuing medicine (MBBS) in Tehran.
Around 30 citizens have gone on a pilgrimage, and more than 50 youngsters are undergoing religious training. A few others have also gone on business trips, as the village is also a hub for gems and jewellery trade," he added.
Officials from the state revenue department and Chikkaballapur police visited Alipur two days ago to collect details of the citizens who are currently in Iran. This was in keeping with the directive of the Ministry of External Affairs to bring them back home as part of Operation Sindhu, launched by the Union govt.
"Until a few days ago, the families of those stranded in Iran were terrified. However, over the past two days, the families were unable to contact their loved ones. Thankfully, all of them have been moved to safe locations and are in touch with Indian embassy officials. The govt of Iran is also cooperating by providing shelter, food, and transit options," Abidi explained.
"The state govt has been coordinating with the MEA for the safe return of our villagers. They will be airlifted from Iran and are expected to reach
Karnataka
by Sunday or Monday," Abidi added.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
21 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
On World War 3 possibility, Russian President Vladimir Putin's ‘no joke' response
As the Israel-Iran conflict intensifies and fears of a broader war is on the rise, Russian President Vladimir Putin has voiced serious concern over the possibility of World War III. Russia's President Vladimir Putin speaks about possibility of WW3 during a plenary session of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF) in Saint Petersburg, Russia, June 20, 2025.(Reuters) When asked whether the world was inching toward WW3, the Russian leader didn't mince words: 'It is disturbing. I am speaking without any irony, without any jokes,' reported Reuters. Vladimir Putin was addressing the St Petersburg International Economic Forum on Friday, when he acknowledged the growing risk of international conflict, warning that the current global trajectory was deeply troubling. Follow Iran Israel war live updates. 'Of course, there is a lot of conflict potential, it is growing, and it is right under our noses, and it affects us directly,' he said. 'And this requires, of course, not only our careful attention to the events taking place, but also the search for solutions, preferably by peaceful means, in all directions.' Putin's remarks came amid mounting fears of a nuclear disaster in the Middle East, particularly in light of Israel's ongoing military campaign against Iran. The conflict, which began on June 13 after a surprise Israeli offensive, has seen repeated strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, military infrastructure, and top scientists. Also Read | UN watchdog warns of 'serious' nuclear disaster if Israel strikes Iran's Bushehr reactor Israel PM vows to end Iran's nuclear ambitions Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has vowed to continue the assault. 'We will fight as long as necessary to destroy Iran's nuclear program,' he declared, calling Tehran's ambitions an 'existential danger.' While Iran insists its nuclear program is strictly peaceful, its enrichment of uranium up to 60% — just below weapons-grade — has raised alarm across the West and especially in Israel. Also Read | Israel warns of 'prolonged war' with Iran as conflict enters ninth day International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Rafael Grossi has issued a stark warning amid growing tensions in the Middle East. 'Countries of the region have reached out directly to me over the past few hours to express their concerns, and I want to make it absolutely and completely clear — in case of an attack on the Bushehr nuclear power plant, a direct hit would result in a very high release of radioactivity,' Grossi cautioned. The stakes are high for Russia too. Moscow is heavily invested in Iran's nuclear infrastructure, with Russian specialists currently constructing two new reactors at the Bushehr nuclear facility. Putin confirmed that following a call with Netanyahu, Israel had given assurances that Russian personnel at the plant would not be harmed.
The Hindu
24 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Trump says Tulsi Gabbard was 'wrong' about Iran; Israeli strikes could be 'very hard to stop'
President Donald Trump has said that his director of national intelligence, Tulsi Gabbard, was 'wrong' when she previously said that the U.S. believed Iran wasn't building a nuclear weapon, and he suggested that it would be 'very hard to stop' Israel's strikes on Iran in order to negotiate a possible ceasefire. Mr. Trump has recently taken a more aggressive public stance toward Tehran as he's sought more time to weigh whether to attack Iran by striking its well-defended Fordo uranium enrichment facility. Buried under a mountain, the facility is believed to be out of the reach of all but America's 'bunker-buster' bombs. Follow Israel-Iran conflict LIVE on June 21 After landing in New Jersey for an evening fundraiser for his super political action committee on Friday, Mr. Trump was asked about Ms. Gabbard's comments to Congress in March that U.S. spy agencies believed that Iran wasn't working on nuclear warheads. The President responded, 'Well then, my intelligence community is wrong. Who in the intelligence community said that?' Informed that it had been Ms. Gabbard, Mr. Trump said, 'She's wrong.' In a subsequent post on X, Ms. Gabbard said her testimony was taken out of context 'as a way to manufacture division'. 'America has intelligence that Iran is at the point that it can produce a nuclear weapon within weeks to months, if they decide to finalise the assembly,' she wrote. 'President Trump has been clear that can't happen, and I agree.' Still, disavowing Ms. Gabbard's previous assessment came a day after the White House said Mr. Trump would decide within two weeks whether the U.S. military would get directly involved in the conflict between Israel and Iran. It said seeking additional time was 'based on the fact that there's a substantial chance of negotiations that may or may not take place with Iran in the near future'. But on Friday, Mr. Trump himself seemed to cast doubts on the possibility of talks leading to a pause in fighting between Israel and Iran. He said that, while he might support a ceasefire, Israel's strikes on Iran could be 'very hard to stop.' Asked about Iran suggesting that, if the U.S. was serious about furthering negotiations, it could call on Israel to stop its strikes, Mr. Trump responded, 'I think it's very hard to make that request right now.' 'If somebody is winning, it's a little bit harder to do than if somebody is losing," Mr. Trump said. 'But we're ready, willing and able, and we've been speaking to Iran, and we'll see what happens.' The President later added, 'It's very hard to stop when you look at it.' "Israel's doing well in terms of war. And, I think, you would say that Iran is doing less well. It's a little bit hard to get somebody to stop," Mr. Trump said. Mr. Trump campaigned on decrying 'endless wars' and has vowed to be an international peacemaker. That's led some, even among conservatives, to point to Mr. Trump's past criticism of the U.S. invasion of Iraq beginning in 2003 as being at odds with his more aggressive stance toward Iran now. Mr. Trump suggested the two situations were very different, though. 'There were no weapons of mass destruction. I never thought there were. And that was somewhat pre-nuclear. You know, it was, it was a nuclear age, but nothing like it is today,' Mr. Trump said of his past criticism of the administration of President George W Bush. He added of Iran's current nuclear programme, 'It looked like I'm right about the material that they've gathered already. It's a tremendous amount of material.' Mr. Trump also cast doubts on Iran's developing nuclear capabilities for civilian pursuits, like power generation. 'You're sitting on one of the largest oil piles anywhere in the world,' he said. 'It's a little bit hard to see why you'd need that.'
Time of India
25 minutes ago
- Time of India
S&P 500, Nasdaq finish lower; investors uneasy about Middle East conflict
The S&P 500 and Nasdaq ended lower on Friday, with investors on edge over the Iran-Israel conflict heading into the weekend, as the U.S. considers whether to get involved. Trading was choppy for much of the session. The S&P 500 also ended lower for the week, while the Nasdaq registered a weekly gain. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 23.7% Returns in last 5 years with Shriram Life's ULIP Shriram Life Insurance Undo Iran said it would not discuss the future of its nuclear program while under attack by Israel, as Europe tried to coax Tehran back into negotiations. The White House said on Thursday that President Donald Trump will decide in the next two weeks whether the U.S. will get involved in the Israel-Iran air war, adding pressure on Tehran to negotiate. "Investors are a little bit nervous about buying stocks right in front of this situation and, more specifically, right in front of this weekend," said Rick Meckler, a partner at Cherry Lane Investments in New Vernon, New Jersey. Live Events Israel's attacks have been aimed at suppressing Tehran's ability to build nuclear weapons. A week into its campaign, Israel said it had hit dozens of military targets. Tech-related megacap stocks, including Nvidia, were among the biggest negatives on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq. The Dow Jones Industrial Average rose 35.16 points, or 0.08%, to 42,206.82, the S&P 500 lost 13.03 points, or 0.22%, to 5,967.84 and the Nasdaq Composite lost 98.86 points, or 0.51%, to 19,447.41. For the week, the Dow was little changed, the S&P 500 was down 0.2% and the Nasdaq was up 0.2%. Friday's volume was higher than the recent average. The day marked a "triple-witching" event, which is the simultaneous expiration of stock options, stock index futures, and stock index options contracts that takes place once every quarter. U.S. exchanges' volume was 20.91 billion shares, compared with the 18.06 billion average for the full session over the last 20 trading days. Investors also weighed comments from Federal Reserve officials after the Fed on Wednesday left interest rates unchanged and Fed Chair Jerome Powell warned inflation could pick up pace over the summer as Trump's tariffs work their way to consumers. Fed Governor Christopher Waller said he felt the inflation risk from tariffs was small, and that the Fed should cut rates as soon as its next meeting. Richmond Fed President Tom Barkin took a more tempered view, saying there was no urgency to cut rates. Kroger shares jumped 9.8% after the grocery chain increased its annual sales growth forecast. Shares of Accenture fell 6.9% after the IT services provider said new bookings decreased in the third quarter. Declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.1-to-1 ratio on the NYSE. There were 102 new highs and 59 new lows on the NYSE. On the Nasdaq, 1,894 stocks rose and 2,651 fell as declining issues outnumbered advancers by a 1.4-to-1 ratio. (Additional reporting by Kanchana Chakravarty and Sukriti Gupta in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika Syamnath and Rod Nickel)
