Maldives Police Service on Saturday arrested 41 people who took part in a motorcycle rally in the capital city.

Earlier in the day, they had warned that action against public gatherings that violate the safety guidelines issued by Health Protection Agency (HPA) amid the state of public health emergency declared in the country over the COVID-19 pandemic.

As such Police had arrested some people before the motorcycle rally began, and had towed several motorcycles as well.

They later confirmed that 41 people have been arrested for violating the safety guideline set by the HPA. They had also appealed to everyone to follow these guidelines to ensure the safety of everyone.

Opposition PPM-PNC coalition had denied their involvement in organizing the rally and said that it was not part of their activities though it was by youth of the parties and saw several top opposition politicians, including PNC leader Abdul Raheem Abdulla, PNC deputy leader Ibrahim Shujau, and PPM deputy leader, Naifaru MP Ahmed Shiyam take part in the rally.

The opposition coalition on August 28 also held a similar rally after which they were fined for violating guidelines issued by HPA under the Public Health Act.