Family of Indian Medical Student in Tehran Urges Evacuation Amidst War-Like Conditions
BENGALURU, India, June 19, 2025-An urgent appeal from the family of Fareehy Mehdi, an Indian medical student at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, is directed toward her immediate evacuation from Iran given recent explosions and ongoing conflict in the region, thereby creating a “war situation” for which their daughter is not prepared. The family’s appeal comes as the first evacuation flight with 110 Indian students from Iran touched down in New Delhi early Thursday morning, providing a token of hope to the besieged families.
Event Chronicle & Context
Imran Mehdi and Shabana Mehdi, Fareeha’s parents, expressed intense anxiety for their daughter’s safety in an exclusive interview with PTI Videos. They stated that a blast occurred “very close” to their daughter’s residence a few days back, which caused immeasurable pain. Fareeha had tried to escape to India since June 15, but airspace was already shut down for commercial flights, therefore leaving her trapped.
Her own family’s fears about her situation are tied in with a larger set of apprehensions among Indian parents with kids in medical studies in Iran. The situation was aggravated lately with the escalation of tensions between Israel and Iran, raising fears of a larger conflict. Indian authorities initiated “Operation Sindhu” to evacuate their citizens.
Key Figures and Official Statements
Imran Mehdi, Fareehy’s father, stated, “My daughter does not know how to survive in war-like situations. She is panicking so much already. So, I am requesting our Prime Minister and our External Affairs Minister to get all the Indian citizens stuck there as early as possible.” His wife, Shabana Mehdi, echoed his sentiments, adding that she has been experiencing sleepless nights due to worry.
The Indian government, through the Indian Embassy in Iran, has taken steps to move students to safer locations. The Mehdi family confirmed that their daughter, along with a batch of other students, had been moved to a “safer” undisclosed location, reportedly in Armenia, approximately six or seven hours from where she was originally staying. While grateful for the government’s efforts, Shabana Mehdi noted, “She is still in Iran though. We do not know exactly where she is, as we were told that it is being kept a secret for their safety.”
Communications are still a problem, and their family mostly depended on sending each other messages nonstop on WhatsApp because the internet connection had become erratic and unstable. Shabana Mehdi commented on the dismal situation many parents are in: “There are 10,500 medical students and 4,000 other students from India there. So I request the government to evacuate them as soon as possible.”
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has confirmed that the Indian Embassy is “continuously monitoring the security situation and engaging Indian students in Iran to ensure their safety.” They stated that in some cases, students are being relocated with the Embassy’s facilitation to safer places within Iran.
Impact and Implications
The primary impact of the escalating tensions is the intense psychological suffering and apprehension for safety that Indian students and their parents are facing. The disturbing educational activities and the routine life of thousands of students reveals the humanitarian aspect of geopolitical conflicts. The closing of airspace and the overall state of uncertainty serve to underscore the immediacy of the problem confronting everyone trying to leave.
For the Indian government, this situation demands a strong and swift evacuation plan, not dissimilar to earlier operations. The successful landing of the first evacuation flight provides a good road map and much-needed boost to morale, but the sheer number of students who continue to remain in Iran poses serious logistical challenges. Furthermore, these unmapped incidents highlight a vulnerability among Indian nationals studying abroad in areas of geopolitical instability.
Reactions, Investigations, and Outlook
The review to the effect that families immediately summoned empty appeals for prompt governmental action. Operation Sindhu of the Indian government is already involved with the evacuation process. The first flight from Iran with 110 Indian students on board, many of whom were studying at Urmia Medical University and had been moved to Armenia prior to their flight to Delhi, is an example showing concerted action.
Those students who had been evacuated recounted harrowing tales; some said they watched missile strikes from their dormitory windows, some heard deafening explosions. This firsthand narrative only demonstrates how urgently the students still in Iran need to be evacuated. The Indian Embassy in Iran has instructed all Indian citizens and Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) capable of making their way out of Tehran by any means to do so and move to a safe zone outside the city.
Outlook is expected to be on the active evacuation of all remaining Indian students. While some have been transported to safety within Iran or to countries bordering it such as Armenia in the first instance, their ultimate wish for these students seems to be to get directly back to India. The ongoing geopolitical situation in West Asia will still be affecting the pace and details of such operations for the time being.
Reported by: Herohind News Desk
