Male, June 21, 2022 (PPI-OT):A crowd of people disrupted a yoga event organised by the Indian High Commission, or embassy, in the capital Male on Tuesday. The crowd stormed a stadium where more than 150 people, including diplomats and government officers, were taking part in an event celebrating International Day of Yoga, disrupting the event, one of the organisers, who did not want to be named, told the media. The protesters brandished placards proclaiming that yoga was against the tenets of Islam.

Islam is the state religion in the Maldives, a group of islands in the Indian Ocean with a population of about half a million. Police used tear gas and pepper spray to control the crowd and secure the area, Superintendent of Police Fathmath Nashwa said.

Six people have been arrested in connection with the incident, Nashwa said. Maldives President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih said a police investigation into the incident had begun. “This is being treated as a matter of serious concern and those responsible will be swiftly brought before the law,” Solih said on Twitter.

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