Iranian woman dies of heart attack after fighting erupted over hijab rule: Reports

Multiple Iranian media reports citing officials have confirmed the death of a 59-year-old Iranian woman after she had a cardiac arrest in a hospital, on Monday (April 24). The semi-official Fars news agency confirmed the death but described the conflict as a fight between “several passengers and a group of people.”

The report by Fars also said that police have detained several people in connection with the incident. A report by Iran International, citing footage of the incident said that the scuffles took place at the parking lot of Mahan Garden which is a tourist attraction in the country’s Eastern Kerman Province while the victim and her family are said to be visitors from the southern port city of Bandar Abbas.

The video in question was reportedly taken from a bus which carried the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) affiliated Basij militia members and their families who were in Kerman to visit the grave of military officer Qassem Soleimani who was assassinated in 2020, reported Iran International.

The fighting broke out after vigilantes assaulted a member of the victim’s family over her hijab, said the media report. It also suggested that it was a Basij member who ordered the woman’s family member to cover her hair.

The governor of Kerman, Ali Babaei described the incident as a “mass conflict” which was sparked by personal issues and confirmed the death of a 59-year-old woman and the injury of several others. So far, police have detained several people in relation to the incident, said the governor without giving any further details.The identity of the victim has also not been disclosed.

The incident has also prompted an investigation where judiciary official, Yousef Sobhani, said “any possible crime would be seriously dealt with,” as quoted by Iran International. Iran has recently intensified its crackdown on women not wearing a headscarf.

Some of the steps reportedly include shutting businesses if their customers do not comply with the hijab law and sending “hijab warning” text messages to nearly everyone who uses a mobile phone, including some men.

Earlier this month, two women were arrested in Iran for not wearing the hijab after a rowdy man created a ruckus and attacked the duo with what seemingly appears to be yoghurt in the northwest city of Mashad. Iran’s judiciary said the two women were arrested for flouting the country’s hijab mandate while the man was also detained for disturbing the public order.

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