‘This time, it’s scarier’: Kashmiri students who returned after January unrest in Iran went back for exams. Now, they’re stuck again

Faizan Nabi, a Kashmiri student in Iran who had managed to return home before the attack in Tehran began, said that these exams were scheduled for March 5. They are now cancelled. “Many students were waiting to take this exam since these are crucial to complete the degree. They are national exams and not a matter of a single university. Therefore, it could not have been cancelled for a particular city and taken again,” he said.

A student at the Kerman University of Medical Sciences, Faizan returned to India last week. “There was no sense of a war breaking out in Tehran, and I came home to be with my family in Ramzan,” he said.

He said that during previous episodes of tensions, students were able to stay on. “This time, it is a lot scarier,” he said, adding that the Indian Embassy in Tehran had extended “remarkable support to us during the recent internal tensions and internet restrictions in Iran”.

Faizan said that at a time when uncertainty was high, embassy officials remained in constant touch. “From coordinating communication to overseeing our movement until we boarded our flight from Tehran airport, they handled everything with quiet efficiency and genuine concern,” he said.

He has not been able to check in on any of his classmates, as they remain cut off due to restrictions on communication.

Some students have been able to post video messages to social media prior to March 1, emphasising the urgency of the situation and seeking urgent help from the Centre to safely evacuate them.

Both of Sohael Mohammad Qadri’s children are studying medicine in Iran. After the Indian Embassy issued its advisory for Indian citizens to leave Iran, He says he urged both his son and daughter to leave the country. “My daughter came back, but my son said his university had not yet provided permission to leave owing to exams,” Qadri said.

He added that he has not been able to speak to his son since the attack and sought urgent help from the government.

Meanwhile, JKSA’s Khuehami said the association has appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar to “relocate the students stuck in Iran to safer locations” until a full evacuation can be conducted.

Naveed Iqbal is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, and reports from Jammu and Kashmir. With a career spanning over 15 years in frontline journalism, Naveed provides authoritative reporting on the region’s transition, governance, and the socio-political implications of national policies. Expertise Regional Specialization: Based in the Srinagar and New Delhi bureaus, Naveed has spent over a decade documenting the unique challenges of Jammu and Kashmir. Her reporting is distinguished by deep contextual knowledge of the region's post-Article 370, statehood debates, and local electoral politics. Key Coverage Beats: Her extensive body of work covers: Politics & Governance: Tracking the National Conference (NC), PDP, and BJP dynamics, including in-depth coverage of J&K’s first Assembly sessions and Rajya Sabha polls following the reorganization of the state. Internal Security & Justice: Providing rigorous reporting on counter-insurgency operations, terror module investigations, and judicial developments involving political detainees and constitutional rights. Education & Minority Affairs: Highlighting systemic issues such as quota rows in J&K, public service commission reforms, and the challenges faced by minority communities. ... Read More

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