‘We were scared if we'd see the next morning': Indians returning from Iran recall horror of escalating conflict

Indian Express

23-06-2025

It's 10:30 pm on Sunday. At the arrival gate six of Terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA), families of those who got stranded in Iran, who either went to study or perform ziyarat (pilgrimage), are waiting. Some take support of the railing while others sit on the floor.
A woman who does not wish to be named can be seen walking impatiently, tightly holding a plastic bag full of rose petals — her eyes scan the gate. 'She (her daughter) said they have touched down. I don't know why it's taking so long for them to come out,' she tells a family member.
Around two hours later, Indians aboard a Mahan Air flight — the second since Iran-Israel war broke out and the first after the United States entered the conflict — start arriving.
Tanzeem Fatima (34), who hails from Allahabad in Uttar Pradesh and is settled in Dubai, is accompanied by her three friends. 'We all were on the tenth floor of our hotel when we saw missiles in the sky two days back. First, we thought it was a celebration to mark one of the recent festivals, but soon realised it was not,' she recounts.
They were scared for their lives, says one of her friends. 'There was chaos all over the place… We ran towards the ground floor of the hotel… scared if we'd be able to see the next morning,' she says.
Some of the passengers who had returned after offering ziyarat had their relatives from Lucknow waiting. Muhammad Natif Naqvi (28), who went along with her mother, also recalls his experiences at a hotel in Iran as the conflict escalated. 'They told us not to go near the windows as they can break with the loud noises outside,' he says.
'Bahut khatarnak manzar tha… humare samne missile intercept ho rahi thi (It was a scary sight…. Missiles were being intercepted in front of us),' he recounts as he took stock of his luggage.
Of around 230 passengers aboard the plane, 180 were from Jammu and Kashmir — they boarded the buses arranged by the government to return to their homes.
'There are 1,300 students from Kashmir who study in Iran. Of them, 750 have been bought back so far,' says Nasir Khuekami, founder and national convenor of Jammu Kashmir Students Association.
'We have built a student network across not only India but globally as well. The day this incident happened between the countries, we issued a helpline number,' he further explains.
According to him, the association wrote letters to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and held talks with the Jammu & Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, and briefed him about the escalation.
Both Iran and India have been putting efforts into the safe relocation of the students, he asserts.