Protesters in Iran on Sunday called for a three-day strike amid conflicting reports that the morality police had been abolished, reported Reuters.

Attorney General Mohammad Jafar Montazeri had made the statement about the morality police being disbanded. However, the interior ministry, which is in charge of the morality police, has not confirmed the development.

The morality police has been held responsible for the death of Mahsa Amini, who had been taken into custody for allegedly violating the mandatory rule for women to wear a hijab. While the officials claim she died of heart attack on September 16, critics and protestors believe she was physically assaulted on accusations of violating the hijab mandate.

Her death has sparked a violent protests across the country.

Also read:

Following the attorney general’s statement, there have been fewer sightings of the morality police on the streets, Reuters reported, citing social media posts and local newspapers such as Shargh.

The protestors have also called for a rally in Tehran’s Azadi Square on Wednesday, reported The Guardian. Similar calls for strikes and mass mobilisation have in past weeks led to an escalation in the protest.

According to Iran-based Human Rights Activists News Agency, 470 protestors, including 64 minors, have been killed as of Saturday. The agency has put the number of arrests at 18,210 and deaths of security personnel at 61. However, the interior ministry claims the toll is 200.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, the Iranian authorities had said that they will review the law that requires all women to cover their heads in public.

Since 1983, it has been obligatory for all women in the country to cover their heads in public. The country’s main reformist party, the Union of Islamic Iran People Party, has been calling for the law mandating hijabs to be rescinded.