New Delhi: The Jammu and Kashmir Students Association (JKSA) has written to the Ministry of External Affairs seeking immediate intervention concerning Indian medical students in Iran facing passport confiscation and other pressing issues.
The association highlighted that Indian students studying in Iran are confronting severe difficulties, including their passports being withheld by university authorities, compulsory academic activities amid crisis, and escalating regional and geopolitical tensions. These factors have left the students feeling trapped, fearful, and insecure.
JKSA pointed out that most affected students belong to Kashmir. They reported that despite the prolonged closure of Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tehran, the university administration has not returned the students’ passports. The students wish to return to India but are unable to do so due to the withheld documents, causing significant anxiety and mental stress among them and their families back home.
JKSA National Coordinator Nasir Khuhami stated that the university administration has been delaying the return of passports for several days, neglecting its responsibilities. This has left students stranded against their will, reflecting a careless and insensitive approach to a serious humanitarian concern, especially given the current unstable situation. Despite repeated requests, the administration has shown no urgency or empathy.
Khuhami emphasized the need to consider this issue in the context of rising regional and international tensions. Reports of US warship deployments, stern statements by Iranian officials, internal unrest, communication disruptions, military preparations, and sharp rhetoric among global powers have created an atmosphere of uncertainty, with the possibility of sudden deterioration in conditions.
Another major concern raised by the association is the conduct of semester examinations at Iranian University of Medical Sciences and Shaheed Beheshti University of Medical Sciences. While most Iranian universities have suspended exams and academic activities until at least 24 March due to the current situation, these universities are still forcing students to appear for exams.
Given the mental stress students are under, their inability to travel due to lack of passports, and the fear of worsening conditions, compelling them to take exams is neither appropriate nor humane. This has further increased the students’ difficulties.
The association summed up that passport retention, lack of institutional accountability, insistence on exams during crisis, and regional instability collectively have left Indian students feeling extremely unsafe and mentally exhausted.
Nasir Khuhami appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs to urgently coordinate with Iranian authorities, the Indian Embassy in Tehran, and the concerned universities to ensure the prompt return of students’ passports to facilitate their movement.
JKSA also requested that the Indian Embassy raise the issue of academic pressure with the universities and arrange for postponement of exams and academic relief for the students. Additionally, considering the volatile situation, the association called for a contingency plan to ensure the safe evacuation of students if necessary.
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