# Police record UDF leader statement in Kozhikode anthem row 2026-08-17T20:20:55+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Police recorded the statement of UDF council leader S.V. Mohammed Shameel Thangal on Monday in connection with the controversy over two groups singing the national anthem and the national song simultaneously at the Kozhikode Corporation Independence Day event. The incident occurred on August 15 when BJP councillors began singing the full version of Vande Mataram as the LDF and UDF councillors sang Jana Gana Mana after the flag hoisting by Mayor O. Sadasivan. Assistant Commissioner T.K. Asharaf is investigating complaints filed by Thangal, LDF council leader K. Rajeev, and BJP councillor Navya Haridas. Kozhikode Town police recorded Haridas's statement on Sunday. No FIR has been registered yet. The LDF and UDF complaints allege BJP councillors insulted the national anthem by singing the national song simultaneously. The BJP complaint counters that the national anthem was sung improperly while the national song was being rendered, and that the Mayor, deputy mayor, and others later walked away. Both groups persisted despite the confusion, with the Mayor and others completing the anthem before leaving while BJP councillors continued singing Vande Mataram. ## Coverage - thehindu.com This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: BJP, Independence Day, Kozhikode Corporation, LDF, S.V. Mohammed Shameel Thangal, UDF Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/police-record-udf-leader-statement-in-kozhikode-anthem-row/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/police-record-udf-leader-statement-in-kozhikode-anthem-row/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/