Mob storms International Yoga Day event in Maldives, dramatic visuals emerge

An unruly mob disrupted an International Day of Yoga event taking place in Maldives on Tuesday. Dramatic visuals have emerged from a stadium in capital Male where people are performing Yoga asanas on exercise mats as a mob barges in, violently swinging flagpoles and creating chaos. 

Dramatic visuals from Maldives as group of extremists disrupt Yoga Day celebrations organised in capital Male pic.twitter.com/es9q3y5g2o

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The police had to resort to the use of tear gas and pepper spray to contain the mob. The event was organised by the Indian High Commission in Maldives and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment and UN, Maldives. Around 150 people had attended the event, which included dignitaries like Maldivian Minister of Youth and Sports, Indian High commissioner, Maldives Foreign Secretary, many high commissioners and UN resident coordinator.

The mob attacked the attendees and vandalised the property. Protesters had earlier displayed placards claiming that Yoga was a practice against the tenets of Islam, it was reported. In the aftermath of the ruckus, the police have arrested six people, Superintendent of Police Fathmath Nashwa told Reuters.

The President of Maldives Ibrahim Mohamed Solih took to Twitter to confirm that a police probe had started and perpetrators will be brought before law swiftly. 

"This is being treated as a matter of serious concern and those responsible will be swiftly brought before the law," Solih, the president of the island nation with half a million population, tweeted. Islam is the state religion of Maldives.

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(With inputs from agencies)