Srinagar, Jan 11: Anxiety has gripped families in Kashmir whose children are pursuing medical education in Iran, amid growing disruptions in communication and reports of escalating violence across the country.
Parents told Greater Kashmir that they have been unable to establish contact with their children for days, triggering fears over their safety.
“We have no idea how my daughter, who studies in a medical college in Tehran, is doing,” said a Srinagar-based mother, adding that both internet and phone services appear to be down in violence-hit areas.
Another parent from Baramulla said he has not heard from his 22-year-old son, a student at a medical university in a border district of Iran, for over two days. Several families said that when they do manage to get through intermittently, they only hear accounts of unrest, clashes and uncertainty.
More than 2,000 students from Kashmir are currently enrolled in universities across Iran. The ongoing unrest has reportedly led to violent clashes in major cities, including Tehran, Isfahan and Mashhad. Authorities are said to have imposed internet shutdowns in several areas to curb protest coordination, further isolating international students, including those from Kashmir.
Alarmed by the situation, parents have urged the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to intervene and ensure the safety of students. “We request the MEA to coordinate with the Indian Embassy in Tehran and take immediate steps to protect our children,” parents said in a collective appeal, calling for their safe return if the situation worsens.
Appeals have also been made to the Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA). Earlier this month, the association wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting the risks faced by nearly 3,000 Indian students in Iran, a majority of whom are from Kashmir.
The Indian government has issued a travel advisory advising against non-essential travel to Iran and said the Indian Embassy is closely monitoring the situation. However, no evacuation plan has been announced so far.
In June 2025, the MEA had carried out a large-scale evacuation of Indian students from Iran under Operation Sindhu, bringing back over 2,000 students through special flights despite the closure of Iranian airports.
With communication lines remaining unreliable, families in Kashmir say they continue to live in fear, hoping for reassurance and timely intervention from authorities.
