Shocking footage has emerged from Afghanistan that shows a Taliban official beating female students who were protesting their right to education after being denied entry to a university for not wearing burqa.

A report in Independent said that the official who is seen using a whip on the students belonged to the Ministry of Vice and Virtue of the Taliban government. The incident took place outside the gates of Badakhshan University in northeastern Afghanistan on Sunday, the outlet further said in its report.

The video shows a Taliban government official chasing the students, forcing them to disperse. The dozens of students were banging on the gates of the university for the authorities to allow them to enter.

Since taking over the reins in August last year, Taliban has put severe restrictions on women’s freedom of movement, speech, expression, work opportunities, and attire. They have also barred girls from attending school from sixth grade.

The Taliban’s Ministry of Vice and Virtue has prescribed a proper attire for women in public – either a niqab (a veils covering the head and face but not the eyes) or burqa. But the women have been protesting against this order, chanting slogans of “access to education”.

Naqibullah Qazizada, the president of the university, said that the terror outfit’s violence and unlawful conduct toward the students will be taken care of and the student’s request would be realised, according to Khamma Press.

According to Human Rights Watch, the Taliban response was brutal from the beginning, beating protesters, disrupting protests, and detaining and torturing journalists covering the demonstrations. The Taliban also banned unauthorised protests.

Notably, the situation of human rights in Afghanistan has worsened since the collapse of the Afghan government and the Taliban’s return to power in August last year.Last week, citing a report by Gallup’s Law and Order Index, the local media said that has been ranked as the “least secure” country in the world.The survey evaluated around 120 countries based on the safety and security of the country’s citizens.