A disturbing incident involving the morality police in Iran has emerged, as a 16-year-old girl, Armita Geravand, is reportedly in a coma after a severe physical assault for not wearing a hijab. The human rights group Hengaw revealed that Armita was beaten by officers at Tehran’s Shohada station on Sunday.

CCTV footage released by Iranian state broadcaster Irna shows Armita being carried off a metro train. Her parents, speaking to Irna, referred to the incident as an “accident,” asserting that Armita fainted due to a drop in blood pressure. However, Hengaw claims the teenager is in a coma and shared a photo on social media platform X, claiming it depicts Armita being treated at Fajr Hospital. Independent verification of the photo by ITV News is currently unavailable.

Concerns have been raised that Armita might suffer a fate similar to Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old woman who died last year while under morality police custody. Mahsa’s death sparked nationwide protests and resulted in numerous arrests for dissent, as reported by Amnesty International.

Hengaw, a Norwegian-based organisation reporting on human rights abuses against Iran’s Kurdish ethnic minority, issued an update, noting “tight security” around the hospital treating Armita, preventing anyone, including family members, from visiting.

The CCTV footage shows Armita without a hijab, apparently boarding a train with two other girls. Shortly afterward, she is seen being carried off the train unconscious. Irna conducted an interview with Armita’s parents, reportedly in the presence of security officers, under “considerable pressure.” The mother accepted the incident as an accident.

Masood Dorosti, managing director of the Tehran metro, denied any “verbal or physical conflict” between Armita and passengers or metro executives. The case raises serious concerns about human rights violations and the safety of individuals who express their personal choices in a society governed by strict dress codes.