New Delhi: Even after almost all Indian medical students returned from Iran after the war began, a 22-year-old Kashmiri man decided to stay back, saying he cannot leave the country “when it is in trouble”. Asif Gulzar, now living alone in a nine-storey hostel in Ahvaz after the rest of the Indian students left, said he was safe and had taken the decision with the support of his family.Gulzar, a third semester MBBS student at Ahvaz Jundishpur University of Medical Sciences in Khuzestan province, said times of India “I came here of my own free will and am safe. I realized I couldn’t leave Iran when it was under attack.”About 2,000 Indian medical students returned to India in various stages after the war began on 28 February. Life remained stable around Gulzar and essential supplies were available despite the conflict. He also said that internet connectivity in Iran is very poor and he was using a paid VPN borrowed from an Iranian friend so he could stay in touch with his family. Asif Gulzar said, “When innocent people suffer, I cannot take the easy option and leave just for my own comfort.” He said remaining silent in the face of such pain would stay with him for the rest of his life.Gulzar, an avid reader of revolutionaries like Bhagat Singh, said he drew inspiration from the idea that silence in the face of oppression is tantamount to complicity. With classes currently suspended, he said he is spending time reading the works of thinkers, philosophers and revolutionaries, as well as writing poetry to capture the atmosphere around him. said Nasir Khuhmi, national convenor of the Jammu and Kashmir Students Union, which facilitated the return of Indian students, including about 1,200, from Kashmir. times of India That almost all of them had come back. “If someone has decided not to return, there is nothing we can do in such a case. We tried our best to ensure the return of every student with the help of Indian authorities,” Khuehami said.