The Tehran Police Department has announced disciplinary action against a police team that arrested a girl for disregarding mandatory hijab rules even as her mother pleaded with them to release her child because she was sick.

A video of the arrest by a morality police unit went viral on social networks on July 19, sparking angry reactions as the mother begged and cried while pleading with the officers to release her daughter from the police car due to her illness.

In the video, the mother can be seen standing in front of a police van trying to stop it from leaving with her daughter. As she pleads for her child's release, the van begins to drive slowly forward, eventually knocking her to the ground.

The girl was arrested for not wearing what the Iranian authorities call a “proper hijab.”

The police department gave no details about the case, saying only that the officers were disciplined due to "wrongful contact with a citizen."

Iran's notorious Guidance Patrols, or morality police, have become increasingly active and violent in recent months, with videos emerging on social media appearing to show officers detaining women, forcing them into vans, and whisking them away.

The hijab first became compulsory in public for Iranian women and girls over the age of 9 after the 1979 Islamic Revolution.

Many Iranian women have flouted the rule over the years in protest and pushed the boundaries of what officials say is acceptable clothing.

With reporting and writing by Ardeshir Tayebi