Thursday
26th Dec 2024
Dhivehi Edition
President Solih and Indian High Commissioner Munu Mahawar
India has ordered the Government of Maldives to implement strict action, including jail term on youth, for interrupting the Yoga Day event held in Male’ on Tuesday.
The event was held at dawn on Tuesday in National Football stadium, in collaboration with Indian Cultural Centre and Youth Ministry.
A group of youth, carrying flags displaying “I bear witness that there is no deity but Allah, and I bear witness that Muhammad is the messenger of Allah” in Arabic, had interrupted the event. They had called on the event participants to leave the area.
Maldives Police Service (MPS) had begun investigating the incident, while President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih had tasked a special Ministerial committee to investigate the case as well.
Indian government had ordered the Government of Maldives to implement serious action on the group, including jail terms. The events of Tuesday, they add, are the direct result of the “India Out” campaign headed by the opposition, and therefore, legal grounds need to be found to halt the campaign.
They also noted the legal process that had taken place when the Presidential decree was issued and the court cases that had challenged the removal of “India Out” banners. This, they add, highlight the need for a law that halts “India Out” movement.
Previously, the Indian government had asked the country and various Parliament Committees to take action on certain media and journalists that had unfavorable coverage.