Over 400 students from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana who were stuck in border states such as Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab were offered shelter, food and assistance at the Andhra Pradesh Bhavan in New Delhi during Operation Sindoor. The recent spike in border tensions between India and Pakistan leading to armed conflict triggered panic among the families back home.
Students began arriving in Delhi over the past few days, especially from institutions located near sensitive areas. According to official figures, 441 students reached AP Bhavan and majority of them left for their hometowns in the last two days. The AP Bhavan is currently hosting dozens of students with arrangements like railway ticket confirmation being overseen directly by AP Bhavan officials as per the orders of the state government.
Among them was Vishwendra Prasad, a student of NIT Srinagar and a native of Mancherial in Telangana, who recounted the urgency that prompted him and 16 others to leave Kashmir. “There was a blackout and even though we did not hear explosions or see drones, we wanted to come back. We hired a cab to Jammu which took about 8 hours and from there we took a train to Delhi,” he said. They were immediately accommodated at AP Bhavan.
Another student, Sai Sandeep from Vijayawada, a third-year student at Lovely Professional University (LPU) in Jalandhar, described seeing drones in the sky. “They were orange and clearly visible. Even though our campus is nearly 120 km from the border, we didn’t want to take chances. My family was tense. I stayed at AP Bhavan for a day before heading home.”
The Telugu students came from multiple institutes like NIT Srinagar, LPU, Sher-e-Kashmir University and Lamrin Tech Skills University in Punjab. AP Bhavan has also set up a 24x7 control room and is working closely with the Centre and border state governments to ensure safe passage for students. AP Bhavan officials said the arrangements will continue until all students reach home safely.
