MDP rally sparks Police drills, security alert

The opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) is preparing for a major rally on Friday, October 3, under the banner of ‘Lootuvaifi’. Concurrently, police presence and training drills have become noticeably rampant in the streets of Male' city.

On Tuesday evening, photos circulated on social media depicting police officers, equipped with shields and armor, positioned in various parts of the city. However, authorities did not immediately comment on the nature of these deployments.

By Wednesday, the police officially informed the media that they would be conducting special training drills in both Male' and Hulhumale’ until Thursday. These exercises are designed to evaluate the operational readiness of the agency and assess the extent of police preparedness for potential situations.

The timing of these police readiness drills appears to coincide directly with the MDP's highly anticipated rally.

Adding to the heightened activity, the Maldives National Defense Force (MNDF) initiated a special operation on Wednesday to inspect vessels at sea. The MNDF stated that this operation aims to prevent unauthorized individuals from operating maritime vessels.

In a statement released Wednesday morning regarding the MDP rally, police indicated that they had received intelligence suggesting various sectarian criminal groups planned to exploit the rally to cause damage in Malé city. The agency issued a stern warning, asserting that such activities would not be tolerated.

The MDP, in response, denied these allegations, accusing the government of funding such groups to instigate riots on Friday. Consequently, the MDP has formally requested police security for the participants of their rally.