Differences have emerged within the United Democratic Front (UDF) over the action taken against police officers following a clash at a mosque in Kozhikode district.A section of the UDF has demanded that action be taken also against those involved in violence inside the mosque.Youth Congress State general secretary V.P. Dulkhifil said action should be initiated against those who allegedly engaged in physical altercations and used abusive language inside the mosque. He also alleged that those involved in the dispute were responsible for calling the police into the mosque for help.A few local Congress leaders and Indian Union Muslim League activists have also come up with a similar stand. They claimed that the action taken against the police officers sent a wrong message to society, that it and tried to protect the real troublemakers.The controversy followed a prolonged dispute between the mosque authorities and a section of the faithful over the proposed removal of religious preacher Abdul Rahman Faizi Ponmala. The alleged dispute escalated during a programme held as part of Nabi Day celebrations, resulting in a verbal confrontation and clash between the two groups.A team from the Chombala police station entered the mosque to disperse those involved in the melee. To bring the situation under control, the police squad reportedly resorted to lathi charge, which later triggered a protest among various groups. It subsequently forced the police higher-ups to initiate disciplinary action against the personnel involved in the incident.Five officers, including Chombala Station House Officer P.P. Shameel, were transferred after allegations surfaced over their alleged lapses in handling the situation. M.V. Manojan, N.P. Anil Kumar, K.M. Manoj Kumar, and C. Praveen Kumar were the other officers who were transferred to the Kozhikode rural police headquarters following an order issued by the District Police Chief (Kozhikode Rural) on Thursday (August 27, 2026).Payyoli SHO P.J. Jaimon was appointed as the new SHO of the Chombala station. M.K. Jayadasan of the Payyoli station was appointed as its new SHO.Expressing resentment over the department-level action, some senior police officers maintained that there was no lapse on the part of the transferred officers. They said the police squad entered the mosque after being called by the mosque committee, and they intervened to prevent the situation from escalating further. Published - August 28, 2026 07:10 pm IST