In recent days, a wave of student reports and messages has circulated on social media, highlighting the harassing and intrusive behavior of certain Basij-affiliated students at universities across the country. For example, according to student sources at Iran University of Science and Technology, Basij students in faculties such as Materials, Computer Engineering, and Industrial Engineering have issued hijab warnings, threatened to contact campus security, and even monitored students’ personal and private behavior.
Some students have reported that these individuals, resembling morality police officers in appearance, have taken down the names and personal information of students and, in some cases, contacted security to summon them on site. One report from Iran University of Science and Technology states: “Over a simple handshake between a few students, one of these individuals intervened, and ten minutes later, security showed up on a motorcycle.”
Following these reports, the university environment has become unsafe and heavily monitored for many students. Even though such intrusions are not permitted under the university’s official regulations, it appears those very rules have become tools in the hands of certain groups to exert pressure.
According to these reports, the role of these individuals is described more as “morality police trainees” than actual students—individuals who, rather than attending classes, roam the halls and campus grounds enforcing rules based on personal interpretations.
