AhlulBayt News Agency: As part of this mission, a special flight carrying 290 Indian citizens landed at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on Friday night, where emotional scenes unfolded as passengers reunited with their families. Chants of “Hindustan Zindabad” (Long live India) echoed through the terminal as many returned with tearful eyes.
The evacuees were primarily students and religious pilgrims, with around 190 hailing from Jammu and Kashmir, while others were from Delhi, Haryana, Karnataka, and West Bengal.
One student described the experience as stressful but expressed deep gratitude toward the Indian embassy and government for ensuring their safe return. Many parents were seen getting emotional upon embracing their children after days of anxiety.
The evacuation was conducted in a well-coordinated manner. Passengers were first moved from Tehran to Mashhad, and then flown to Delhi under the supervision of Indian officials.
A key contribution came from the Iranian government, which permitted the use of its airspace, enabling the operation to proceed smoothly.
According to Arun Kumar Chatterjee, Secretary of Passport, Visa, and Consular Affairs at the Ministry of External Affairs, “Out of the 290 citizens brought back today, 190 are from Jammu and Kashmir. We are grateful to the Iranian authorities for allowing the use of their airspace.”
Under Operation Sindhu, the government aims to repatriate a total of 1,000 Indian citizens from Iran.
On Thursday, 110 students were already brought back via Armenia and Doha. Two more evacuation flights are expected to arrive shortly, including one departing from Ashgabat, Turkmenistan.
The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association expressed its heartfelt thanks to the central government, the Ministry of External Affairs, and all involved agencies.
They described the operation as a major relief for anxious families who had been worried about the safety of their loved ones.
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