Woman paralysed after being shot by police over hijab

Tehran: A mother of two has been left paraplegic after being shot by Iranian police over an alleged violation of the country’s strict hijab rules, BBC has reported quoting sources.

“She is paralysed from the waist down, and doctors have said it will take months to determine whether she will be permanently paraplegic or not,” said.

“The bullet entered her lung and severely damaged her spinal cord,” the report revealed.

Arezoo Badri, 31, was driving home with her sister in the northern city of Noor on July 22 when police attempted to pull her over to confiscate her car.

The driver did not comply with the order to stop, prompting the officers to shoot, the police commander in Noor told Iran’s state-run news agency, without naming Badri.

The incident comes after Iranian police announced a clampdown on women defying the nation’s compulsory dress code.

It followed prolonged public outcry over the law in the wake of the death of Mahsa Amini in 2022 while being detained by Iran’s morality police for allegedly wearing her hijab, or headscarf, “improperly”.