Iranian security forces have barred Molavi Abdolhamid, Iran's top Sunni cleric, from visiting areas affected by recent floods in Sistan-Baluchistan Province, while also detaining two of his children, according to local media reports.
Haalvsh, a group that monitors rights violations in the impoverished province, reported that the incident occurred on March 4 as Abdolhamid, accompanied by his family and associates, attempted to reach the flood-stricken region of Dashtyari.
However, their journey was abruptly halted by security personnel at a checkpoint on the Zahedan-Khash highway, where two of the cleric's teenage children were taken into custody.
Molavi Abdolhamid reportedly protested by refusing to leave the checkpoint.
The Baluch Activists Campaign also reported the vehicles of Abdolhamid and his companions being stopped and the "arrest" of two of his children, adding that residents of Zahedan were mobilizing toward the Zahedan-to-Khash road in response.
Abdolhamid has expressed criticism over the handling of flood disaster-relief efforts by officials and urged the public to provide aid to those affected in the province.
Molavi Abdolhamid (file photo)
The heavy rainfall, which began last week, has inflicted significant damage across the southeastern province, leading to widespread flooding. Official reports indicate that at least 1,800 homes were damaged.
The floods, described as severe by the state news agency IRNA, have led to the overflow of four dams, affecting 1,947 villages across the region. The disaster has prompted concerns over the adequacy of emergency response and infrastructure resilience in Iran in the face of natural calamities.
Members of the Baluch minority, many of whom are Sunni Muslims in Shi'a-majority Iran, have long faced disproportionate discrimination and violence at the hands of the authorities.
Abdolhamid, the outspoken leader of Friday Prayers in Zahedan, has publicly criticized the authorities for alleged human rights abuses and repression of Iran's ethnic and religious minorities.
Sources in Sistan-Baluchistan told Radio Farda that Abdolhamid, whose popularity has soared, has been the subject of "intimidation and threats" from the authorities.