New Delhi: At least 31 civilians have been killed in a crackdown by the security forces in Iran on protests that erupted after the death of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested by the morality police for allegedly flouting hijab rules, news agency AFP reported an Oslo-based Iran Human Rights NGO as saying.
“The people of Iran have come to the streets to achieve their fundamental rights and human dignity…and the government is responding to their peaceful protest with bullets,” AFP quoted Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam, the director of the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights NGO as saying.
It is to be noted that Iran has been witnessing protests over the last one week against the hijab rules in the country and the agitation turned violent after the death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini on September 16.
Amini was in Tehran with her brother when she was arrested by the morality police for not complying with the hijab rules. She fell into a coma shortly after she allegedly suffered a fatal blow to her head and later died in a hospital.
READ | WATCH: Iran Women Burn Hijab In Protest Against Death Of Mahsa Amini, Clampdown On Demonstrators
Meanwhile, in a bid to curb the raging protests across the country, Iran on Thursday shut off the internet in parts of Tehran and Kurdistan and blocked access to social media platforms such as Instagram and WhatsApp.
There was a near-total disruption of internet access in parts of Iran's western Kurdistan province from Monday evening and regional blackouts in other parts of the country, including Sanandaj and Tehran.
According to reports, the street rallies had spread to 15 cities and the police had to resort to teargas and make arrests in order to disperse crowds of up to 1,000 protesters.
The demonstrators also hurled stones at security forces, torched police vehicles and bins and chanted anti-government slogans, Iranian media reports said.