Maldives: mob attacks attendees at Indian Center’s Yoga Day event

A mob disrupted an event on the International Yoga Day in Maldives, unconfirmed videos on social media showed on Tuesday.

Multiple vidoes show a mob disrupting the International Yoga Day celebrations which were being held by the Maldives government in association with the Indian Cultural Center at the Galolhu stadium.

Videos shared on social media showed miscreants armed with sticks and flags charging towards people who were practicing yoga and meditation on their yoga mats.

The videos shared also showed some miscreants in the mob charging towards the participants with flagpoles as police attempted to restrain them.

The police were forced to use tear gas canisters to disperse the unruly mob following which the situation escalated into a physical altercation, news agency BNN Newsroom reported.

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Maldives president Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said an enquiry into the incident was ordered. He said via a tweet that the Maldivian government is treating this issue with utmost concern.

Yoga in the Maldives is a hot-button issue for orthodox Muslims who have polarized opinions regarding the spiritual discipline which have benefitted millions across the globe.

A report from Maldivian news agency The Edition said that a section of Islamists believe performing yoga is akin to worshiping the sun - an heretic act as per Islamic tradition.

Reports said there were complaints from the ‘public’ who were opposed to the idea of the event being held there and the organisers were denied permission at another venue.

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