Thiruvananthapuram | Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Mayor V V Rajesh on Monday toughened his stand against cross-massaging in spas and said it is against the culture of the land and cannot be allowed in the capital city.

Without effective intervention from the authorities, the local culture is likely to change, following the pattern of several other cities, he said.

The newly elected Mayor's remarks came a day after the BJP-led city corporation announced a strict drive against spas in the capital city engaged in illegal activities, including cross-massaging.

The civic body came up with the tough stand following a recent incident in Thiruvalla in the Pathanamthitta district, where a gangster allegedly raped a spa employee after she refused to give him money.

Rajesh said as a first step, the corporation would conduct a zonal-wise examination and verification of documents of spas operating within the city limit.

Steps would be taken to ensure that its documents are not fake and also to verify that only authorised and licensed activities are being conducted in such institutions, he told the media.

If the law mandates that the presence of a qualified masseur is mandatory, the absence of such a person would be considered illegal, he explained.

"Cross-massaging is not allowed in Thiruvananthapuram. Women massaging men and vice versa will lead to a different culture. So, it cannot be permitted. If it is legally permitted, there is no need for us to intervene in it," the Mayor said.

Pointing out the need for effective interventions against such illegal activities, Rajesh further said that as Thiruvananthapuram is a developing port city, it has to welcome different kinds of people as part of business activities and others.

The lack of intervention by authorities would create a precedent in the matter of such illegal practices, he noted.

The Mayor, however, assured all possible support to those institutions operating legally.

On Sunday, Rajesh announced that the corporation would examine whether spas were being operated by criminal gangs, as reported from other parts of the state.

Later in the evening, corporation officials raided the spa in the city where a woman was "sexually assaulted" under the pretext of a job interview.

The corporation decided to shut down the spa and issue a notice to its owner.