The criminal court released a man who was arrested during an opposition protest in Male' on Friday evening for allegedly throwing an object at the police.
The judge decided to release him when he was taken to court on Saturday for extension of detention.
The opposition Progressive Party of Maldives-People's National Congress (PPM-PNC) has been staging daily protests calling for the release of jailed former president Abdulla Yameen and alleging Indian influence over Maldivian domestic affairs.
The man was arrested on Friday after he went to the protest area on a motorbike. The criminal court released him when was taken to the remand hearing, the police informed the media.
As a video of the arrest and the photo of a child who was said to have been with the man circulated on social media, the opposition accused the police of using excessive force.
The police said the man's feet was injured because he resisted arrest. Adhadhu has learned that the injury was to his toe. He was taken to the Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital for treatment, the police said.
He was arrested for stepping in front of the police line and throwing an object, the police said.
In a statement condemning the arrest in front of the PPM office, the opposition said the man had been driving on a motorcycle with a child and that he was brutally arrested while trying to leave after taking a photo.
The opposition called on the Human Rights Commission and National Integrity Commission to investigate the arrest and urged the police to investigate the responsible officer.
