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A PhD scholar from West Bengal has been forced to take shelter in a bunker in Israel's Tel Aviv to escape the missile attacks as the conflict between the Jewish state and Iran raged on for the eighth day.
Aniruddha Bera, a PhD scholar at Tel Aviv University, spoke to India Today TV in an exclusive interview about how he has been managing his daily routine in Israel since June 13, when the Jewish state launched Operation Rising Lion against Iran. He expressed his willingness to return home as part of India's Operation Sindhu, although he was anxious about the situation.
"When we arrived, we were told to download two apps - one is a government app and the other is a private app called red alert. These apps alert us 15-20 minutes in advance about potential missile attacks, giving us time to reach the nearest bunker. If the radar signals a potential threat, a siren goes off and we have to run to the shelter within 90 seconds. Most of the times we are staying in the bunker just below our dormitory," said Bera, a native of Salboni in West Bengal's West Midnapore district.
Despite the challenges, Bera praised the Israeli missile warning system, saying, "The Israelis are very used to these things. Thirty per cent of the missiles do fall to the ground, but their system is very high-tech. We can order food and there are general stores open nearby. If I hear a missile, I can reach the shelter in 10 minutes."
The student shared his experience of a recent missile attack that hit a place three to four kilometres away from his location. "We didn't hear the sound, but we saw the visuals of the attack. It hit a very important place in the city of Tel Aviv. There was no special damage, but it's natural to feel worried," he said.
Despite the fear, Bera said that life in Tel Aviv is slowly returning to normal. "People are playing beach volleyball and going for jogs on the beach. Life is moving towards normal. You can call it the new normal," he added.
Bera expressed his gratitude to the Indian embassy in Tel Aviv for its support and said he would soon return home under Operation Sindhu launched by India.
"Our Indian embassy is working very well. They launched Operation Sindhu for us and we're being evacuated. I have registered and maybe very soon, I'll return home. We don't even know how to thank the Indian government. They're doing everything they can to get us out of this situation," he said.
Bera also said his family is in constant contact with him and wants him to return home. "I am considering it seriously. At the end of the day, there's work, but everything is fine. I'm worried about the stray events that could happen anytime," he said.
Published By:
Prateek Chakraborty
Published On:
Jun 20, 2025
