Dozens were injured in clashes as protests were held in support of the former president Former Maldivian President Mohamed Nasheed has said that he was forced to resign "at gunpoint" by police and army officers in a coup.
He said the move was planned with the knowledge of Vice-President Mohammed Waheed Hassan Manik, who has replaced him. Mr Hassan denies the claims.
Dozens of demonstrators - including Mr Nasheed - were injured as riot police used tear gas and batons against protesters in Republic Square.
Mr Nasheed quit on Tuesday amid unrest.
He announced his resignation after police joined opposition-led protests over the detention of a top judge.
Several thousand Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) supporters, led by Mr Nasheed, marched through the streets of the capital earlier on Wednesday in protest at his ousting.
Acting police commissioner Abdulla Fairooz said "around 40" people have been arrested in the protests, including former MDP chairperson Mariya Ahmed Didi.
The BBC's Andrew North, in Male, says soldiers in riot gear and police with batons charged the crowd and fired tear gas. The main square is now blocked off by soldiers and police.
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There was an ugly atmosphere in this tiny capital on the sea as darkness fell, with clashes continuing between Maldives security forces and supporters of the former president, Mohamed Nasheed.
We witnessed a baton charge by police on crowds gathered outside one of the main hospitals.
People scattered as officers sprinted towards them, silhouetted against the lights of passing traffic.
Inside the hospital, dozens of Mr Nasheed's supporters are still being treated for injuries, following earlier scuffles in the main square.
Among them is Reeko Moosa Maniku, chairman of Mr Nasheed's Maldives Democratic Party - who was with the former president when the clashes broke out.
With a large head bandage and his shirt bloodied, he regained consciousness as we arrived. The police said they would kill me, he told us, as they beat me.
Another MP was still unconscious in another ward.
At the scene
We witnessed a baton charge by police on crowds gathered outside one of the main hospitals.
People scattered as officers sprinted towards them, silhouetted against the lights of passing traffic.
Inside the hospital, dozens of Mr Nasheed's supporters are still being treated for injuries, following earlier scuffles in the main square.
Among them is Reeko Moosa Maniku, chairman of Mr Nasheed's Maldives Democratic Party - who was with the former president when the clashes broke out.
With a large head bandage and his shirt bloodied, he regained consciousness as we arrived. The police said they would kill me, he told us, as they beat me.
Another MP was still unconscious in another ward.
Those detained include one of the former president's senior officials, our correspondent says. Other reports say MDP supporters threw petrol bombs at police and demanded Mr Nasheed be reinstated.
The head of the youth wing for the former ruling MDP, Shauna Aminath, said she was part of a crowd of protesters near Republic Square when riot police charged at them.
"The police here are animals. It was peaceful.. and then the police came straight at us. So many people have been injured," she told the BBC.
Mohamed Afaal, managing director at ADK hospital in Male, told the BBC that 14 people had been treated for injuries sustained due to the protests, none critically. Others wounded in the demonstrations have been taken to the main IGMH hospital.
Military spokesman Ibrahim Azim confirmed Mr Nasheed had "received some small injuries because the crowds were huge and he has been taken to hospital". His family have said he is now safely at home.
Meanwhile, residents and a police official said MDP demonstrators had seized some police stations on small islands outside of the capital.
'Guns all around me'
Mr Nasheed's whereabouts over the past 24 hours have been unclear at times and his aides have alleged he was being held against his will.
But on Wednesday, the Maldives first democratically elected president met party supporters and told them he would fight to get his job back. He urged Mr Hassan to stand down and called for immediate elections.
The new president denies he is part of a conspiracy "Yes, I was forced to resign at gunpoint," he told reporters after the meeting. "There were guns all around me and they told me they wouldn't hesitate to use them if I didn't resign."
He told the AFP news agency in a telephone interview that he had gone to military headquarters on Tuesday where he found about 18 "middle-ranking" police and army officers in control.
"I wanted to negotiate the lives of the people who were serving in my government."
He added that he feared Mr Hassan - formerly his vice-president - was "in on" their plans.
The new president in turn criticised Mr Nasheed for wrongfully arresting Justice Abdulla Mohamed last month.
He denies a coup took place or that there was a pre-arranged plan for him to stage a takeover. Mr Hassan said his aim now was to form a coalition to help build a stable and democratic country ahead of fresh presidential elections due next year.
"We will respect the rule of law, we will uphold the constitution, the executive will not interfere in legislation and we will make sure that democracy is consolidated," he told a news conference on Wednesday.
He also promised to protect Mr Nasheed from retribution, pointing out that he was free to leave the country.
However he said he would not interfere with any police or court action against Mr Nasheed.
The authorities are reported to be investigating the discovery of bottles of alcohol at Mr Nasheed's former residence. Consuming alcohol outside tourist resorts is a crime in the Muslim nation.
'Rogue elements'
Protests over the arrest of Justice Mohamed are widely seen has having hastened the downfall of Mr Nasheed, who critics say acted unconstitutionally.
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The Maldives
- The Maldives is a chain of nearly 1,200 islands in the Indian Ocean
- Fewer than 200 of those islands are inhabited but with sandy beaches and coral, tourism is the Maldives' largest industry
- It became a protectorate under the Dutch in the 17th Century and then the British in the 19th Century. It achieved full independence in 1965
- President Mohamed Nasheed came to power after elections in 2008 ended 30 years of autocratic rule by Maumoon Abdul Gayoom
- A former political prisoner and activist, President Nasheed highlighted the threat of global warming to the low-lying islands
- But he has faced fierce political opposition, as parliament is dominated by opposition supporters of the former president
- Tensions escalated last month after the army arrested a senior judge the government accused of political bias, prompting street protests
The judge was released soon after Mr Hassan took power.
The judge was accused of being loyal to the opposition by ordering the release of a government critic he said had been illegally detained.
Hours before Mr Nasheed's resignation, there had been a mutiny in police ranks which saw a few dozen officers side with protesters and then clash with soldiers in the streets.
The mutinying officers took control of the state broadcaster in the capital, Male, and began playing out messages in support of former president Maumoon Abdul Gayoom, an autocrat who ruled for more than 30 years.
Mr Nasheed, a former political prisoner, defeated him in the country's first multi-party elections in 2008.
British, US and Australian diplomats have flown in from neighbouring Sri Lanka to provide consular assistance, if needed, to tourists holidaying in the Maldives.
Foreign governments are advising those visiting the islands to be careful. The archipelago receives nearly a million visitors a year - but most head straight to their resorts and never reach the capital.
Source: BBC News, 8 February 2012 Last updated at 23:13 GMT
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