Delhi: Southern students from Kashmir sheltered at bhawans left in limbo about return

NEW DELHI: Students from south India who left their universities in Kashmir during the India-Pakistan military conflict are in limbo about returning to complete their courses as they take shelter at various state bhawans in Delhi. The students were evacuated from the valley after tensions between the two countries escalated when India on May 7 carried out Operation Sindoor, striking nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and PoK to avenge the April 22 Pahalgam attack that left 26 people dead.

Pakistani troops resorted to heavy shelling along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir after the strikes.

"Messages used to come whenever there were blackouts, and we had to rush to the ground floor. During the blackout, we didn't know what to do,” said a student from Andhra Pradesh studying at NIT Srinagar. The student alleged that the university administration didn't help them. “We arranged our travel on our own, and now we're being looked after at our state bhawan in Delhi."

As they take shelter in the national capital, the students are uncertain about their return to the valley to complete their studies. "We all had to fight with our parents to study in Kashmir, now we have to convince them again to return and finish our studies," said Anandi, a student from Tamil Nadu, reflecting the dilemma faced by several southern students evacuated from Jammu and Kashmir.

Students uncertain about their return to universities

Anandi, who is pursuing MSc from Sher-e-Kashmir Agriculture University, recalled the fear that crept in slowly. "We were asked to stay on campus after the Pahalgam attack. Then we started hearing sirens, missile sounds, drone sounds. We weren't sure what it was.” “We had mock drills while observing complete blackouts. The university did nothing. We had to pressure them through the Tamil Nadu government," she said. "We had to convince our parents to take admission in Kashmir and now again, we have to convince our parents to send us back," she added.

Maheshwari, another student from Tamil Nadu, said their campus was largely safe, but overflights of drones and missiles made the situation alarming. Ganesh from Bengaluru said, "We left campus on Saturday afternoon. We weren't feeling safe until we crossed Jammu. After reaching Delhi, we finally felt secure." "Our parents told us to leave even if there was a one percent risk, especially since air and road routes were blocked. We may return only after things settle down in a few months," she said.

Another student noted that while universities arranged buses up to Jammu, the government took care of the rest of their journey. India and Pakistan on Saturday reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect after four days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes. However, hours later New Delhi accused Islamabad of breaching it. Authorities have relocated thousands of civilians from sensitive zones, and while the understanding between the countries has brought temporary relief, security forces remain on high alert.