Tuesday, 17 June 2025
Tuesday, 17 June 2025
India has started to relocate citizens from Iran, where over 10,000 Indians—including 1,500 students—are stranded amid intensifying hostilities between Iran and Israel. With contingency plans in motion and possible border crossings being explored, New Delhi is bracing for an operation of a scale it has never attempted before on Iranian soil.
Buses have started moving students from Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Islamic Azad University, and Iran University of Medical Sciences, with more evacuations expected from Shahid Beheshti University in Tajrish, Urmia near the Turkish border, and Qom.
“Relocation of students is expected to take place soon in Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences in Tajrish and Urmia University of Medical Sciences near Iran’s border with Turkey and Azerbaijan, The Hindu reported quoting an official.
Thousands are stranded in Iranian cities such as Tehran, Mashhad, Qom, and Zahedan.
The unfolding operation adds to a growing list of complex evacuations New Delhi has undertaken in recent years.
Operation Indravati (2024) – Haiti
Launched in March 2024, Operation Indravati rescued Indian nationals from Haiti after armed gangs overran the capital and major cities, forcing Prime Minister Ariel Henry to resign.
With no Indian mission in Haiti, the embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, coordinated the effort.
A dozen Indian citizens were safely relocated in the first phase.
Operation Ajay (2023) – Israel
Following the Israel-Hamas conflict in October 2023, India initiated Operation Ajay to bring back its citizens.
India repatriated over 1,340 individuals, including 1,309 Indian nationals, via six special chartered flights.
Operation Kaveri (2023) – Sudan
In April 2023, amid heavy fighting between rival military factions in Sudan, India launched Operation Kaveri.
The mission involved the Indian Navy and Air Force conducting sea and air evacuations from Port Sudan.
By May 5, nearly 3,862 people were rescued.
Operation Ganga (2022) – Ukraine
Operation Ganga was executed in early 2022 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Indian nationals, mostly students, were evacuated through neighbouring countries using commercial and special flights.
More than 18,000 citizens were brought home through coordinated efforts involving multiple ministries and private airlines.
Operation Devi Shakti (2021) – Afghanistan
In August 2021, as the Taliban took over Kabul, Operation Devi Shakti was launched to rescue Indian nationals, as well as Afghan Sikhs, Hindus, and other vulnerable groups.
A total of 669 people were evacuated through multiple sorties from Kabul, amid international chaos at the Hamid Karzai International Airport.
Operation Samudra Setu (2020) – COVID-19 crisis
As part of the larger Vande Bharat Mission during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Indian Navy launched Operation Samudra Setu in May 2020 to repatriate citizens from the Indian Ocean region.
Nearly 4,000 individuals were brought back from Sri Lanka, Maldives, and Iran. WW
Operation Raahat (2015) – Yemen
Operation Raahat was launched in April 2015 to evacuate Indian citizens and foreign nationals from Yemen amid a civil war following the Houthi takeover and the Saudi-led military intervention.
The Indian Armed Forces, in coordination with the ministry of external Affairs, carried out both sea and air evacuations, beginning from the port city of Aden and later from the capital Sana’a.
Over 4,640 Indians and 960 foreign nationals from 41 countries were rescued and transported to Djibouti before being flown back to India.
Led on the ground by General V.K. Singh (Retd.), the mission demonstrated India’s operational capability in conflict zones and its commitment to the safety of not only its own citizens but also those from other nations.
