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Time of India
10 hours ago
- Time of India
Helpdesk shut, wait gets longer for stranded Indians
Kolkata: While Bengal residents continued to return homes from West Asia on Wednesday, troubles are far from over for those still stranded in the two warring nations of Israel and Iran as the Indian embassy in Tehran has shut its helpdesk at Mashhad. They have been checked into Sadr Hotel in Mashhad for two more days after which they are likely to make return arrangements on their own. Sayantan Maiti, a Barrackpore resident and a post-doctoral research fellow at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, crossed Israel through the Egypt border on Tuesday. "While many were being evacuated through Jordan, another group was sent back home through the Egypt border. The strikes on the US airbase led to the temporary shutdown of the airspace by a number of countries," he said. Maiti, who started from Haifa on Tuesday, reached Egypt by the afternoon. In the past two days, the Indian embassy in Tel Aviv picked up students from different locations and took them to the borders of Jordan and Egypt. "When we started on Tuesday, there were frequent siren alerts for missile attacks. While we were on our way to the Egypt border, news flashed that Iranian missiles hit the Be'er Sheva area," recounted Maiti. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Najpohodlnejšia vychádzková obuv pre mužov KÚPTE TERAZ Undo You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata The buses were halted, and the drivers waited for instructions from the Indian embassy. "We were anticipating further escalation of conflict. Fortunately, a ceasefire was declared. From Eilat, the southernmost point of Israel, the Indian embassy in Egypt took over our responsibility," he recounted. Twenty pilgrims from North 24 Parganas, who were evacuated from Mashhad, reached Kolkata past Tuesday midnight. "They were happy to come back home. The Indian embassy in Iran took good care of them. But for my parents, who went on a pilgrimage to Iran and went through the most difficult phase of their lives, the scars will continue to haunt them," said Hossain Mehedi, whose parents returned to Kolkata on Tuesday.
Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
After 10 days and with $20 in pocket, Kol prof back at Jadavpur home
1 2 3 4 5 6 Kolkata: Falguni Dey, the geography professor from Kolkata who got stranded in war-ravaged Iran, returned to the city on Tuesday morning after a gruelling 10-day wait. Dey, along with other Indian passengers, was evacuated by the Indian embassy on a Mahan Air flight from Mashhad late on Monday night. "Over the past 10 days, I was caught between hope and despair. Even after the flight took off from Mashhad, I was not sure of getting back home. In the past 10 days, my hopes were shattered a number of times. When the flight landed in New Delhi and I came out of the immigration checks, it started to sink in slowly," Dey said. After Israel launched a missile strike on June 14 — a day before his scheduled departure — Dey was on the run to evade the destruction caused by Israeli missiles and drones. With $200 in his pocket, he travelled from the north to the west of Iran. His attempts to cross Iran first through Azerbaijan and then through Armenia were unsuccessful. He reached Mashhad on Sunday and got himself registered with the Indian embassy for evacuation. When he returned home on Tuesday morning, he had $20 left with him. You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata On Monday afternoon, Dey received a phone call from the Indian embassy in Tehran. "They asked me to reach Sadr Hotel in Mashhad immediately where the list for the evacuees was being prepared. They asked me to pack my bags and be prepared for checkout from the hotel in the evening. Five buses parked outside the hotel took us to the airport in the evening," he recounted. The flight took off from Mashhad at 1:30 am and reached New Delhi around 4 am. Two officials from the Bengal govt were present at the airport. "My flight to Kolkata was scheduled at 5 am and the Bengal govt officials helped to complete the formalities in time," he said. Dey called his wife to inform her about his return after he reached New Delhi. When he reached Kolkata airport, his wife was waiting outside. "My phone rang at 4 am and it was a call from his India number. I could not believe my eyes. He asked me to reach the airport fast," said Kanyakumari Dey, his wife. Since Dey was stuck in Iran, it was a prolonged fight for her, too. From their Jadavpur home, she coordinated with officials at the Tehran office, filed visa applications for him, followed up with the embassy offices, counselled him when he was depressed, and continued to keep the hope in him alive. "I lost hope twice when Azerbaijan and Armenia declined his visa and I felt that we would not be able to bring him back. He was stuck in a situation where everything was at odds. He survived as he has a steely nerve," she said.
