Mob temporarily disrupts yoga day event in Maldives; 6 arrested
Male, Jun 21: A mob on Tuesday temporarily disrupted an event related to the International Day of Yoga at a football stadium here in the Maldivian capital which was attended by top diplomats and members of the general public, attacking some of the participants and destroying property.
In a statement, police said that they were treating the incident as a serious issue, and the Serious and Organised Crime Department was investigating it with "utmost urgency." So far, six persons have been taken into custody, police said.
"An investigation has been launched by @PoliceMv into the incident that happened this morning at Galolhu stadium. This is being treated as a matter of serious concern and those responsible will be swiftly brought before the law," President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih tweeted.
Maldives Police Service has launched a high priority investigation into the violent disruption of the event held at the National Stadium in the Muslim majority nation.
"Perpetrators had sought to incite fear by forcefully entering, destroying property and attempting to assault participants of the event," said the police statement.
The event - organised by Indian High Commission in Maldives in collaboration with Ministry of Youth, Sports and Community Empowerment of Maldives and UN in the Maldives - was attended by diplomats, state dignitaries and members of the public. The Indian and British envoys were among those attending the event, according to the Associated Press.
After the brief disruption by religious hardliners, the event resumed and the session got completed successfully.
In a separate statement, the Government of Maldives strongly condemned the "violent acts perpetrated by a group of individuals" targeting the participants, including members of the diplomatic community who were attending the celebrations held to mark the 8th United Nations International Day of Yoga.
"Such malicious acts of violence aimed at disrupting public safety and undermining security of individuals and the diplomatic corps will not be tolerated. Authorities have launched a special investigation into today's incident and the Government will ensure that the perpetrators are swiftly brought to justice," it said.
Police said that preliminary investigative findings showed some of the items used by rioters came from the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) office.
"As of now, the evidence indicates that the demonstrators were using items taken from the office of the PPM," police said.
Police said they would also look into what caused the incident, and conduct an internal review of the police response to the incident.
Those with evidence or information pertaining to the incident have been asked to submit it to the web portal set up for case tips.
Police provided assurance they will ensure the anonymity and safety of all individuals who submit information via the portal.
Meanwhile, PPM issued a statement condemning the incident, the Sun newspaper reported.
Some allege the flags used by the rioters were the same ones used in the Nabiyyaage Dhifaaugai rally recently held by PPM.
PPM's Secretary-General Mohamed Tholal told Sun said the flags used by rioters were similar to the ones used by his party in its rally, but that it yet remained unclear whether it was the same flags.
"It's possible those were our flags. I am unable to say for sure yet whether those were our flags, he said.
Sports Minister Ahmed Mahloof alleged stopping the event by portraying yoga as an anti-Islamic pursuit was a political act. He said that the incident involved PPM and Jamiyyath Salaf, the paper reported.
Salaf has also issued a statement denying involvement in the incident.
The International Yoga Day is celebrated on June 21 every year around the world. This day has been celebrated in the Maldives, since 2015.
Dramatic visuals from Maldives as group of extremists disrupt Yoga Day celebrations organised in capital Male pic.twitter.com/es9q3y5g2o
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) June 21, 2022
An investigation has been launched by @PoliceMv into the incident that happened this morning at Galolhu stadium.
— Ibrahim Mohamed Solih (@ibusolih) June 21, 2022
This is being treated as a matter of serious concern and those responsible will be swiftly brought before the law.
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Namo Bharat reaches capital as PM inaugurates 13-km section of Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor
New Delhi, Jan 5: The Namo Bharat train entered the national capital on Sunday with Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurating a 13-km section of the Delhi-Meerut RRTS corridor from Sahibabad in Ghaziabad to New Ashok Nagar here.
Modi also took a ride on a Namo Bharat train from Sahibabad to New Ashok after purchasing an NCMC (National Common Mobility Card) using the UPI payment system.
During his journey, the prime minister interacted with people, including children.
With the inauguration of the Delhi section of the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor, Meerut city is now directly connected to Delhi and the commuters can reach Meerut South in just 40 minutes.
The 55-km RRTS corridor between New Ashok Nagar and Meerut South with 11 stations has become operational. Passenger operations will commence from 5 pm onwards and the trains will be available every 15 minutes.
The fare from New Ashok Nagar station to Meerut South station is Rs 150 for standard coach and Rs 225 for premium coach.
The Namo Bharat train has served more than five million passengers so far.
The construction of other sections -- New Ashok Nagar-Sarai Kale Khan and Meerut South-Modipuram -- is progressing at a rapid pace, according to an official.
Of the newly-inaugurated 13-km section, 6 km is underground, including Anand Vihar station.
This is the first time that Namo Bharat trains will operate in an underground section.
Anand Vihar underground station is one of the biggest on the Namo Bharat corridor. New Ashok Nagar is the first elevated Namo Bharat station to become operational on the Delhi section.
The official said that Namo Bharat stations are designed and constructed to provide seamless connectivity with other modes of public transport such as buses and metro, wherever possible.
One coach in each train is reserved for women and other coaches have reserved seats for women, the elderly and 'Divyangjans'.
Each train has designated space for wheelchairs and stretchers, and a train attendant to assist and ensure the convenience of passengers.
Modi inaugurated the 17-km priority section of the RRTS corridor between Sahibabad and Duhai Depot on October 20 last year.
The 82-km RRTS corridor originates at Sarai Kale Khan in New Delhi and terminates at Modipuram in Meerut.
It has 16 stations along with nine additional stations for the Meerut metro, making it a comprehensive and transformative regional transit solution.
The National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC), which is constructing the RRTS corridor, later in a statement said that the prime minister also interacted with women train operators and station controllers, commending their pivotal roles in operations.
During the journey, Modi interacted with various set travellers, showcasing the diverse social impact of the corridor.
The women beneficiaries of the NCRTC's vocational training program, supported by the JFPR (Japan Fund for Prosperous and Resilient Asia and the Pacific) grant, shared their inspiring journeys of employment, the NCRTC said in the statement.
The engineering students discussed their aspirations and the corridors technological advancements, while the school students showcased their creativity through artwork, poetry and songs inspired by the project, it said.
नमो भारत ट्रेन के साहिबाबाद-अशोक नगर के नए कॉरिडोर में सफर के दौरान मेरे युवा साथियों की अद्भुत प्रतिभा ने नई ऊर्जा से भर दिया। pic.twitter.com/ov7eUOFKpp
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) January 5, 2025
