A banner reading “India Out” was put up at the opposition rally on Friday night to protest against the demarcation of the disputed territory between Maldives and Mauritius.
“India Out” is a campaign by the Progressive Party of Maldives (PPM) to show disapproval about the alleged stationing of Indian military members in the country.
President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih has issued a decree to ban the campaign as the government tries to quash any attempts against the neighbouring country.
The banner was put up by a group of eight men during Friday night’s rally. They were wearing white t-shirts that had the “India Out” slogan.
It is not clear if they were affiliated with the politicians that organised the rally. The organisers did not encourage “India Out” protests during the rally.
In late April, the disputed territory between the Maldives and Mauritius was demarcated at the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) after the government agreed that Chagos belongs to Mauritius.
The opposition has accused the government of “selling” part of the Maldives' territorial waters and vowed to remove “traitors” from power.
