Pune, March 1: Eighty-four MBA students from Pune-based Indira University were unable to fly back from Dubai after airspacees were closed after the evolving conflict in West Asia, the Dean of the institute's School of Information Technology, Janardan Pawar, said on Sunday. He has reassured that stated that the institution is in constant communication with the parents of the stranded students and they are coordinating with the Ministry of External Affairs to be brought back at the earliest.
The educational institute confirmed that the students, who were on an academic exposure trip to Dubai, are currently safe and being housed in local hotels.
Dean Pawar, while speaking to mediapersons, said, " Under our global programme, we send students there every year for academic exposure. This year, a total of 84 students have gone in two batches. We have requested the Ministry of External Affairs and are constantly in contact with the students' parents. The students are safe in the hotel, and we are providing every possible support to them, hoping for their return to India soon. "
The development comes amid a joint US-Israel attack on Iran on Saturday, in which Iranian Supreme Leader Ayotollah Khamenei was killed. Large explosions were reported in Tehran and other major cities. US President Donald Trump said that the strikes were done to "ensure that Iran does not obtain a nuclear weapon". Iran retaliated by firing ballistic missiles and drones at US assets and allies across the region, targeting Israel, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan. On Sunday, Israel said it had launched fresh attacks on "the heart of Tehran".
Meanwhile, four people were injured after an Iranian drone struck Dubai International Airport, causing reported damage inside a passenger terminal, according to Al Jazeera. Emergency teams were dispatched immediately in coordination with relevant authorities, Al Jazeera said, citing Dubai Airports' media office.
CNN reported news of celebrations in several cities in Iran. According to the news report, whistling, cheering and slogans of 'Death to the Islamic Republic' and 'Long live the Shah' were heard on the streets of the cities. Fox News posted a video and reported that Iranians were celebrating the death of Khamenei on the streets of Besat Town, a suburb of Karaj, Iran.
Former Spokesperson for the state of Israel Eylon A Levy posted another celebration video on X, saying, "Iranian women are dancing in the streets--without hair coverings--after hearing that Israel killed the tyrant Khamenei. So many Western leaders should feel ashamed at their cowardly response this morning. We will all remember."
Iranian activist and journalist, Masih Alinejad, posted another video with the message, "A video of Iranian people celebrating inside Iran, Am I dreaming? Hello, new world." (ANI)
