Fadila Kachakkaran, a Malayali student pursuing her second-semester MBBS programme at Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, arrived in New Delhi on Saturday, June 21, 2025, on a special flight arranged as part of the Union government’s ‘Operation Sindhu’ to evacuate Indian nationals from the conflict-affected regions of Iran and Israel.

She was part of the special flight carrying Indian nationals that reached Delhi airport around 5 p.m., said a communication issued by the Department of Non-Resident Keralites Affairs (NoRKA). A native of Mudikode in Malappuram, she was expected to reach Kochi airport from Delhi around 11.50 p.m. by an IndiGo flight, it added.

Muhammed Kachakkaran, her father, who is a civil engineer in Saudi Arabia, had reached Delhi to receive her. She had gone to Tehran in September 2024 to pursue the MBBS programme, the communication said.

A special team formed to help people caught in conflict zones return home safely as per the directive of Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan has been coordinating the evacuation operations. The team is led by Chetan Kumar Meena, Additional Resident Commissioner at Kerala House, New Delhi, according to the communication. Mr. Vijayan had earlier instructed him to ensure necessary facilities for returning Keralites.

Accommodation will be provided at Kerala House for Keralites arriving in Delhi. They will be sent to the State as soon as flights are available. The Chief Minister had earlier said that Malayalis wishing to return to the State should register their names through the NoRKA Global Contact Centre helpline: 1800 425 3939 (toll-free) or +91 88020 12345 (for international missed calls).