One bar of signal, miles from home: Indian students in Iran cling to patchy internet as curfews, shutdown

Indian Students Stranded Amid Iran’s Internet Blackout (Representative Image) NEW DELHI: A hand lifts a phone towards the sky, desperately seeking a sliver of internet connectivity. One bar, two bars, anything to connect. Standing near a towering iron barrier marking the Iran-Iraq border, Indian students clutch their devices, racing through messages to reassure worried parents thousands of kilometres away. Others pace back and forth, voices hurried, eyes fixed on screens as they manage the scant, sporadic signals.As internet services remained suspended across large parts of Iran and an 8pm curfew emptied streets in several cities, Indians, many of them students from Jammu and Kashmir studying at universities close to the Iraqi border, were forced to rely on this sporadic connectivity, said Mohammad Momin Khan, vice-president of J&K All India Medical Students Association.

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Khan, who has been coordinating with students and parents, said a WhatsApp group was created to track those in Iran and share verified updates. “Parents were panicking because there was no way to reach their children directly. The group helped assure families that students were safe.” Iran is home to around 9,000 Indians, majority of them students and about 2,000 from Jammu and Kashmir enrolled in medical courses. Amid ongoing political unrest and fears of escalation, universities in several regions have suspended classes and postponed examinations, leaving students uncertain about academic timelines and personal safety.Commercial flights carrying first batch of Indian students and pilgrims landed in Delhi early Saturday. Most of them said that while the situation on the ground was not as dire as portrayed on social media, the combination of demonstrations, internet shutdowns, curfews and institutional closures created a sense of vulnerability.Many said the decision to return was driven less by immediate danger and more by uncertainty. The Indian embassy in Tehran has said formal evacuation operations were on hold, with officials assessing the situation. According to the association, embassy officials are in contact with students in Iran and have assured them that they will be informed through official channels if evacuation becomes necessary.Also read: ‘Thank you’ Iran; Donald Trump reacts to Tehran’s execution halt; claims over 800 hangings cancelled
At IGI Airport, emotional scenes unfolded as parents waited anxiously for arriving flights. “Coming home felt like a weight lifted,” one student said. Several students, however, have also taken to social media, urging families not to panic and requesting clearer communication and guidelines from authorities. Zoha Syeeda, a final-year MBBS student at Tehran University from Jammu and Kashmir who landed in Delhi, described the reports of unrest as largely rumours, stating that students remained safe on campus. “There was no chaos. Police were continuously patrolling the area and the university had advised students not to step out. We were in safe hands.”Her father said the lack of reliable communication and the internet shutdown heightened anxiety among families. “We insisted that she return as a precaution,” he said, adding that the students’ association played a crucial role in keeping families informed. The family plans to send Zoha back once the situation stabilises.Adulahad, the father of a final-year MBBS student who has chosen to stay back, said, “He tells us that the situation there is under control and that he feels safe. He will return only if the situation worsens or if he is advised to leave.”