COVID-19: Indians in Iran await their turn after India evacuated people from China and Japan

Around 300 Indian students are stranded in Iran’s national capital Tehran  as the coronavirus pandemic festers the country. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) official figures as of March 2, the death toll in Iran has spiked to 54, while more than 970 people remain infected.

Abis, a student at Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS) who hails from Bengaluru, said: “Panic among students set in when Iran cancelled all its direct flights –including Mahan Air and Iran Air – to India. Students started freaking out as there was no way to go back home. The panic got aggravated when Iran declared a health emergency and the number of cases rose with every passing hour.” He added that so far no Indian student in Iran has been declared positive.

Another student from TUMS named Owais Sidique said: “The situation remains chaotic as the number of cases in Iran increases. People have been asked to take precautions. Due to indefinite shut down of flights, we don’t know when are we going back home."

Sidique told BusinessLine that the university is providing food and other basic necessities in the dormitories. The Iranian authorities have also taken details of the foreign students so that they can approach their respective embassies for an airlift.

Response from Government

While Owais waits patiently for the evacuation, his family back in India remains anxious and in dismay. Questioning the delay in the process, Owais’ brother Rayees said: “We are worried about our children. Government of India is not taking it seriously, they are not working in a way they worked while evacuating people from China. This is strange I hope our children won't be the victims of politics.”

Rayees told BusinessLine that Owais is in constant touch with the Indian embassy in Tehran but so far they have not given him any positive response. “From last one week, the Indian embassy is saying we are trying,” said Rayees.

However, Indian authorities have assured that they are in talks with Iran and the students will soon be airlifted. External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar tweeted: “Working on the issue of Indians in Iran anxious to return due to #COVID19. We are collaborating with the Iranian authorities to set up a screening process for the return of Indian.”

China evacuation

Last month India airlifted around 647 students from China’s Wuhan, the epicentre of the pandemic. India also evacuated students from Maldives, Bangladesh, Srilanka, and other neighbouring countries after getting permission from China. Last week, India evacuated 119 Indians and five nationals of Sri Lanka, Nepal, South Africa, and Peru from Japan’s capital Tokyo.

Meanwhile, Indian nationals in Iran still look up to the ministry to initiate the evacuation process. Apart from the students, around 400 fishers have also contacted the Indian embassy in Iran for the speedy evacuation process.

The fishers had made a video and uploaded on social media. According to the video, 23 fishers were seen sharing a small space with intermittent access to water and food. They are currently lodged in the coastal area of Asaluyeh in Bushehr province of Iran.

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