Fear, unrest and uncertainty: Indians evacuating Iran share what they saw

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Families of Indian citizens returning from Iran waited with excitement and relief at Delhi Airport to welcome them. Reports of internet outages in Iran over the past few days had increased families' anxiety, but the safe return of their loved ones brought smiles to everyone's faces.

A family member said their mother and aunt had gone to Iran for pilgrimage. "The internet was down for the past week, so we couldn't contact them," they said. "It was a very worrying time for us. Now we are very excited and waiting for them."

Another relative said that their mother arrived in Iran for pilgrimage on January 7. For the first two days, they had regular communication, but after January 8, the internet was shut down and contact was completely lost.

He said, "My mother had already told me everything was normal there. We couldn't speak after that, but now the news of their return is a great relief." A family had come to receive their father and sister at the Delhi airport. They said, "The government has done a great job. We thank them for it. We are happy that our loved ones are returning safely."

Some of the family members are from Delhi, while their relatives are from Amroha district in Uttar Pradesh, who had gone to Iran for pilgrimage. "The atmosphere there was reported to be a bit tense, but we didn't face any major problems," he said.

Another man said his sister-in-law and eight other people from their village were also returning. A man who arrived at the airport said, "The arrangements in Iran are very good. Some people were spreading rumors of riots and unrest, but from what I spoke to my mother, everything was fine there. The Iranian government is handling the situation, and the Indian government, under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, is helping us a lot."

An Indian citizen who returned from Iran said, "The situation is returning to normal. It's not like before." Another traveler added, "The situation is stable right now. The internet was down and international calls weren't working, which frightened us. Calls were later restored. The Indian Embassy and the government helped us a lot, and we are grateful for that."

Another returning citizen said, "We were completely safe. Nothing wrong happened. We returned on our own." Another traveler added, "The internet was shut down for control purposes. It wasn't unusual. Such things happen in every country. Tourists faced no problems, and everything was normal."