Chandigarh, March 1 What began as a leisure trip to Dubai for Neeru Garg, a college principal from Punjab, soon turned into a nightmare as Iran's attacks on the city led to airspace closure and left her, along with her family, stranded in Sharjah without cash or essential medicines.
Garg, who is the principal of SSD Girls College in Bathinda, has appealed to the Union government for immediate assistance to help evacuate her and other Indian passengers.
Punjab NRI Affairs Minister Ravjot Singh on Sunday called Garg, assuring her of all possible help. He also wrote to External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, seeking an urgent meeting regarding the evacuation of people from Punjab in view of the escalating tensions.
"It was a five-day trip, and thinking it was the last day of the trip (Saturday), we even exhausted all our money (in Dirhams) as we were preparing to return on the IndiGo flight, which was booked for Amritsar," Garg said in a video shared on social media on Saturday.
She and some other Indian travellers also claimed they were stuck at the Sharjah International Airport.
"We had completed all formalities, but when we came for a security check at 1.30 pm, they asked us to come at 2.30 pm. At 2 pm, they informed us that all flights had been cancelled," she added.
Garg claimed that upon asking airport authorities regarding where they should stay, as there was no arrangement for accommodation, they were not given any further information.
"We request the Government of India to hear us out, as many passengers are stuck, and there is panic. People are harassed, many are sick, but no one here is listening to us," she said.
In another video shared on Sunday, the college principal said they were asked to leave the airport at 10 pm on Saturday as she expressed displeasure over the airline authorities not guiding them in an unknown territory.
"We kept sitting outside the airport for half an hour on Saturday and were wondering what to do next. We checked hotels and all of them were booked. Then we got a hotel 20 km away at exorbitant rates," she said.
"Today, we have been asked to check out of the hotel. We could not understand what to do next. We have run out of cash. Our essential medicines are now not available. Nobody is here to guide us," she added.
Garg also claimed that attempts to contact the Indian embassy's toll-free number in the UAE went unanswered.
During the conversation with the NRI Affairs minister, she informed him that after checking out of the hotel, she and her family have now shifted to an accommodation of a family friend.
In a post on X, Sing said, "Today, I spoke telephonically with the tourists and residents from Punjab stranded at the various airports at UAE because of the Iran-Israel conflict in the Middle East.”
“During this time, I had a special conversation with Neeru Garg Ji (Principal, S.S.D. Girls College, Bathinda) and gathered information regarding the difficulties they are facing,” he said in the post.
The minister said the state government is in constant touch with the central government.
“I assure you all that under the able guidance of Honourable Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann Ji, our government is making every possible effort to ensure your safe return to Punjab," Singh added.
Earlier, another Indian traveller at Sharjah airport said passengers were informed of the cancellation of flights around an hour before the scheduled take-off.
"Our appeal to the Indian embassy is that we are stuck. We cannot go outside because our visa has expired. People are scared whether they will be able to come out of it or not," he had said.
Another passenger had also urged the Union government to arrange for their safe return.
In view of flight cancellations following the escalating security situation in the Middle East, the Ministry of External Affairs on Sunday advised foreign nationals in India impacted by travel disruptions to approach relevant authorities for visa extensions or regularise their stay through the nearest Foreigners Regional Registration Office (FRRO).
The United States and Israel launched joint strikes on Iran on Saturday. Iranian state media confirmed early Sunday that Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in the attack.