Indian Medical Students Stranded in Iran: MEA Advisories and Exam

As military tensions and airstrikes escalate across the Middle East, over 1,200 Indian medical students find themselves stranded in Iran, caught in an impossible dilemma between personal safety and their academic futures.

Despite urgent evacuation advisories issued by the Indian Embassy in late February, a massive portion of the student body – primarily hailing from Jammu & Kashmir, Kerala, and Uttar Pradesh – chose to stay behind. Their reason? A mandatory pre-internship and basic sciences exam (Olum-e-Paye) conducted by Iran’s Ministry of Health, scheduled precisely for today, March 5.

In response to the rapidly deteriorating security situation, the Indian Embassy in Tehran initiated emergency protocols, successfully relocating the majority of the medical students from the high-risk capital to safer zones like Qom.

The Embassy has taken full charge of their transport, food, and accommodation, though a small fraction of students opted to remain in Tehran. Meanwhile, medical student bodies like the All India Medical Students Association (AIMSA) and the J&K Students Association (JKSA) have urgently appealed to the Ministry of External Affairs, requesting diplomatic intervention to force Iranian universities to postpone the exams.

“Objectively, the Government of India issued clear advisories and arranged evacuations from high-risk areas. If some students voluntarily chose to stay despite this and are later unable to leave, the responsibility cannot reasonably be placed on the government. An exit route was clearly provided, choosing to stay was a conscious decision.”