Minivan News reports:

Photographs of what appears to be the humiliation of a police officer have emerged from the mobile phone of a fellow officer.One photograph, obtained by Minivan News, depicts a young man tied to a chair in bright sunlight as what appears to be a food substance has been thrown over him. A second shows him covered with a garland of tin cans. Read the full report here

The incidents showing a culture of premeditated abuse which can infact amount to toture, within the rank and file of the Police Training School in Addu is quite alarming indeed. The evidence is quite revealing and leaves little room for contradictions by the authorities. I am not quite sure whether the matter will fall within the mandate of the hibernating Police Integrity Commission.

If such cases of gross abuse and misconduct can pass the watchful eyes of the senior officers responsible to upkeep law and order throughout the nation, the effectiveness of their watch on the vast terrain of the nation is open for speculation.

It is important that all responsible state institutions including the Parliament, the Home Minister, the Police Commissioner and other agencies of the state should act immediately to root out this culture of violence, intimidation and torture. However, little can be expected where incidents are used for the purpose of attacking individuals to gain political leverage rather than attending to issues in the best interest of the nation.

The root cause is a loss of basic human values, in my opinion. The unique Maldivian culture of sadism and humiliation for entertainment is the devil. What has been reported is not prevalent in the Police Academy, but in the Maldivian everyday life – including picnics and in tea boutiques! The magnitude and the culture differs from place to place.

I pray that we will be a civilized society that is respectful of the individual, one day soon!