In yet another incident of moral policing reported from Vadakara in Kozhikode district on Friday, Thodannur panchayat president and a female colleague were locked inside a panchayat-owned building of the Labour Society, while other staff members went out.

Panchayat president Thiruvallur Murali and a woman Congress worker were reportedly locked inside a room allegedly by DYFI activists. Though the police took them to the station, they were later allowed to leave.

Murali and the woman initially refused to leave the station premises as they reiterated that the police had deliberately apprehended them in full view of the public merely to insult them.

Local Congress workers allege that it was a planned act by the DYFI in collaboration with a few police officials to humiliate their party colleagues. Meanwhile posters hinting at an illicit relationship between the panchayat president and his colleague too were anonymously put up in the surrounding areas.

The Vadakara Circle Inspector VK Viswambaran told The News Minute that it was a misunderstanding on the part of the masses and that the accusation was baseless. He also denied police involvement in the alleged propaganda.

Following the incident, political tension prevailed in the area as Congress and DYFI workers clashed over the issue. Condemning the incident, the local Congress party unit declared a hartal on Saturday.