Srinagar, Jan 25: Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) on Sunday wrote to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) seeking immediate intervention in view of the increasingly precarious situation faced by Indian students pursuing medical education in the Islamic Republic of Iran, said a press release.
The Association highlighted a convergence of serious concerns including the continued withholding of students’ passports by university authorities, coercive academic practices amid an unfolding crisis, and rapidly escalating regional and geopolitical tensions which have together left Indian students anxious, stranded, and vulnerable.
In its letter addressed to the External Affairs Minister, the Association stated that Indian students, a majority of whom are from Kashmir, have informed Association’s Iran Chapter that the prolonged closure of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, coupled with the persistent failure of university authorities to return students’ passports, has effectively immobilised them. Despite their clear willingness to return home, students remain unable to do so due to the continued withholding of passports, triggering acute psychological distress and deep anxiety among families in India who are closely monitoring the deteriorating security situation.
National Convenor of Association, Nasir Khuehami, said that for several days the university authorities have avoided responsibility and delayed the return of passports, forcing students to remain stranded against their will. He described this as a careless and indifferent handling of a serious humanitarian concern, particularly alarming at a time marked by instability and crisis. Students, he added, have conveyed that repeated representations and assurances have elicited neither urgency nor sensitivity from the authorities.
Khuehami further stated that the gravity of the situation must be viewed against the backdrop of fast-escalating regional and geopolitical tensions widely reported across Indian and international media.
Amid this climate of uncertainty, the Association flagged an additional and deeply troubling concern. Indian students, including those from Kashmir, have informed JKSA that Iran University of Medical Sciences, along with Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, is continuing with scheduled semester examinations. This stands in sharp contrast to the approach adopted by a majority of universities across Iran, which have postponed academic activities and semester examinations until at least 24 March in recognition of the prevailing instability and extraordinary circumstances.
