Amidst a raging war in Iran, several Indian students stuck there are appealing to the Modi government to bring them back home safely. At present, over 9,000 Indian nationals, mostly medical students from Jammu and Kashmir, are stranded in Iran’s capital, Tehran, and the city of Qom. Many stranded students are raising concerns that they are being told to travel to Armenia and then arrange flights to Delhi on their own. However, this situation would probably have never arisen had these students heeded repeated warnings and advisories issued by the Indian government urging them to leave Iran.
Multiple advisories, none heeded: Indian students in Iran ignored safety warnings
The videos and emotional appeals from Indian students stranded in Iran invoke a similar fear and panic here in India, as they might be experiencing while being stuck in a war-torn country. On 9th March, a ‘protest’ was staged in Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir, by parents of several Indian students stranded in Iran. They requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the External Affairs minister, J&K LG and Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to intervene immediately to ensure the safe return of their children.
In a video message, one Kashmiri Indian student stranded in Iran said, “The situation is frightening. We are fine as of now, but we cannot be sure about our safety. Attacks are happening even at the places where students were relocated.”
One of the parents who participated in the protest in Srinagar said students have been advised by the Indian mission in Iran to stay wherever they are, or they can leave for the Armenia-Iran border at their own risk, after having pre-booked Armenia-Delhi flight tickets.
It is being made to seem as if the Modi government has gone the American way of leaving its nationals in conflict-torn countries on their own. Even students who were evacuated by the Indian embassy from the war epicentre in Iran on Indian taxpayers’ money are appealing to the Indian government to bring them back to India on an urgent basis, despite being aware that the airspace is closed. The body language, the level of entitlement, and the insinuation by several stranded Indian students that somehow the government is now doing ‘enough’ to repatriate them is enraging, to put it mildly.
These are the students who were evacuated by the Indian embassy from the war epicenter in Tehran to a safer city on taxpayers’ money.
— THE SKIN DOCTOR (@theskindoctor13) March 9, 2026
And now they want India to evacuate them urgently to India, despite fully knowing that the airspace is closed.
See their body language. I want… pic.twitter.com/UtIHFvax97
It must not be forgotten how many Indian students in Iran were making videos dismissing concerns raised in India about their safety, and not taking the advisories seriously, until the sounds of American and Israeli missiles hitting civilian areas fell on their ears.
On January 14, 2026, India asked its nationals to leave Iran. Back then, Indian students insisted: “We’re safe, and the University is meeting our demands.”
— Āyudhika (@Ayudhika1310) February 28, 2026
Today, the same students are pleading with the Indian government to speed up evacuation.
What changed for the students… pic.twitter.com/Imxgy3jwGM
Protests, requests, demands, and political blame-games, the situation would not have come to this if the students had gauged the seriousness of the prevailing tensions and the Indian government’s advisories issued weeks prior to the February 28 US-Israel attack on Iran.
The first advisory by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs was issued on 14th January 2026, when protests and the Iranian Mullah regime’s crackdown had begun to take a violent turn. Indian nationals were urged to defer all non-essential travel to Iran amidst escalating nationwide protests.
Advisory for Indian nationals regarding travel to Iran
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) January 14, 2026
🔗 https://t.co/6nSHTg45Bu pic.twitter.com/JWK1xC8EQO
This was followed by a stronger warning on 14th February, explicitly advising Indian nationals, including students, pilgrims, and traders, etc, to leave Iran by any available means. The Indian embassy also opened 24/7 helplines to assist Indians in Iran.
Just nine days later, on 23rd February, the MEA issued an advisory reiterating in starker terms the message to Indian nationals in Iran to leave the country at the earliest, terming the security environment there as deteriorating. The registration on the MEA’s portal for those still stuck in Iran was also mandated.
“In continuation of the advisory issued by the Government of India on 5 January 2026, and in view of the evolving situation in Iran, Indian nationals who are currently in Iran (students, pilgrims, business persons and tourists) are advised to leave Iran by available means of transport, including commercial flights. The 14 January 2026 Advisory is hereby reiterated that all Indian citizens and PIOs should exercise due caution, avoid areas of protests or demonstrations, stay in contact with the Indian Embassy in Iran and monitor local media for any developments,” the MEA said on 23rd February.
— India in Iran (@India_in_Iran) February 23, 2026
These were not vague suggestions or fearmongering. The MEA made clear and repeated calls to action based on real-time assessments of rising tensions, including the brewing Israel-Iran war.
Despite the advisories, Indian students chose to stay put. In fact, the MEA confirmed that even after a full-fledged war broke out, many students refused the Indian embassy’s offer for assistance.
This was confirmed by the MEA on 3rd March in a fresh advisory. “In view of the developing situation, all Indian nationals in Iran are advised to exercise utmost caution, avoid unnecessary movements and remain indoors as far as possible. Indians may also continue to monitor the news, maintain situational awareness and await any further guidance from the Embassy of India.
Due to heightened risk perception in Tehran, the Embassy of India has relocated most Indian students who were in Tehran to safer locations outside Tehran. The Embassy has made arrangements for their transportation, food, and accommodation. Only a small number of students who declined the Embassy’s offer remain in Tehran,” the Indian Embassy in Iran said, adding that while some left Iran via Armenia, many chose to stay back in the war-torn country.
The airspace is closed, the land borders are not safe, and practically no place in Iran is safe from American and Israeli airstrikes. Now, if something goes wrong with the stranded students who “chose” to stay back due to academic pressures of appearing for exams and fear of invalidation of their degree, general carelessness or whatever reason, the Indian government would get the blame. The government cannot send chartered flights to Tehran to bring Indians back home while Iranian skies are mired with Israeli missiles.
The awareness, the deliberate dismissal of the seriousness of the situation and the eventual entitlement-laden evacuation appeals when flights are cancelled, and airspace is closed, show that many, if not most, students prioritised their personal timelines and comfort over official warnings. They gambled on staying earlier but are now expecting a free pass. This entire episode comes across as a classic case of blaming the authorities for a self-inflicted predicament.
Given the Modi government’s commendable track record of evacuating Indian citizens from crisis-hit regions, the evacuation operations will continue to bring every stranded Indian back from Iran; however, the situation remains complicated due to constant attacks on Iran and the closure of air and sea routes.
