Commissioner of Police (CP) Mohamed Hameed has stated that he was deeply concerned over the actions taken by police officers during the disruption at the International Yoga Day event and will support any inquiry conducted by relevant authorities.
In a tweet, Hameed said he has serious concerns over the policing effort at the event at the National Stadium that amounted to a serious security breach. He said the Maldives Police Service (MPS) is internally reviewing the police operation and will extend full cooperation to all inquiries conducted by relevant authorities. He also said that MPS will focus on taking swift action against those who unlawfully disrupted the event and also take corrective steps to improve police operations.
An investigation has begun into the incident that occurred on June 21 during the International Yoga Day event held at the National Stadium. Those who attended the event included Minister of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment Ahmed Mahloof, Indian High Commissioner to the Maldives Munu Mahawar, and foreign diplomats. The incident occurred after several individuals gathered nearby to protest the event and later broke through the police barricades and entered the stadium.
The Serious and Organised Crime Department of the Crime Investigation Command of the MPS is investigating the incident. In a press release, MPS stated that the perpetrators had sought to incite fear by forcefully entering, destroying property and attempting to assault participants of the event. It appealed the public to submit any information, videos, or photos of the incident and stated that the evidence indicated that the demonstrators were using items taken from the office of Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM). However, the main opposition party has denied any involvement in the incident.
Six male Maldivians have been taken into custody in relation to the case. Two of the suspects, Shaamy Rashad and Mohamed Zilyan, have been remanded for five days while four suspects were remanded for two months. The four suspects are Mohamed Nadheem, Mohamed Mausoom, Mohamed Hussain, and Ameen Ahmed.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has said that the incident is being treated as a matter of serious concern and those responsible will be swiftly brought before the law.