Family seeks help for Meerut man stranded in Iran

Meerut (UP), Jun 24 (PTI) The family of a 28-year-old Meerut man stranded in Iran submitted an appeal to the High Commission of India in New Delhi on Tuesday, seeking help for his safe return.
    Sachin Saini, a resident of Mohalla Sainiyan in Lavad town, had gone to work in a steel factory in Iran on February 5 this year.
    In a telephonic conversation with PTI, Sachin said, "I am stuck in the factory premises near Isfahan city along with several other workers, mostly Indians and Iranians. I wish to return home immediately if possible. I want to be sure that there is no problem on the way due to the ongoing conflict, so I can return home safe."
    Speaking to PTI in Meerut, his brother Mohit Saini claimed that there were frequent gunfire and explosions near the factory, which have put Sachin's life in danger.
    "The factory management is not allowing Indian workers to leave the premises. Nearly 140 Indian nationals are currently stranded there. We are in contact with Sachin and have urged the Indian government to ensure his safe return," Mohit said.
    When contacted, Meerut District Magistrate VK Singh said, "We have not received any official information regarding this matter from either the family or any government or intelligence agency."
    Atul Pradhan, Samajwadi Party MLA from Sardhana, told PTI that Sachin's family met him on Tuesday morning and he has assured them full assistance from his party.
    India has intensified its evacuation mission Operation Sindhu, amid the hostilities that began on June 13 when Israel attacked nuclear and military sites in Iran, and Iran retaliated.
    According to External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, a special flight on Monday brought back 290 Indian nationals and one Sri Lankan citizen from Iran's Mashhad to New Delhi. This brought the total number of Indians evacuated from Iran to 2,003 so far.
    In addition, 161 Indians were being flown to New Delhi from Amman, after being moved out of Israel. India has deployed chartered flights from Mashhad, Yerevan (Armenia) and Ashgabat (Turkmenistan) since last Wednesday. Iran also lifted its airspace restrictions on Friday to facilitate evacuation flights.
    The first evacuation flight carrying 290 Indians landed in New Delhi late on Friday, followed by others over the weekend and Monday.
    Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump claimed that a ceasefire between Iran and Israel was "in effect" on Tuesday, but expressed deep frustration with both the sides, accusing them of violating the agreement he brokered.
    Israel earlier accused Iran of launching missiles into its airspace after the truce was supposed to take effect. The Iranian military denied firing on Israel, reports said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)