Malayalam actor-politician Suresh Gopi booked for misbehaving with woman journalist

KOZHIKODE: The Kerala Police on Saturday registered a case against Malayalam actor-politician Suresh Gopi for allegedly misbehaving with a woman journalist while he was interacting with reporters in Kozhikode.

The case was registered under section 354A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Nadakkav police station in Kozhikode after the woman journalist filed a complaint against the actor to the district police commissioner, said police.

Section 354A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) pertains to assault or criminal force on a woman with the intent to outrage her modesty.

The punishment for violating this section is imprisonment for a term of at least one year, which may extend to five years, and a fine. Gopi on Saturday apologised to the journalist on whose shoulder he put his hand twice while responding to questions by media persons in Kozhikode on Friday.

The actor, in a social media post, said he had behaved in a friendly manner towards the journalist and tendered an apology for his alleged misbehaviour saying that he meant to treat her with affection.

"If she felt bad about my behaviour, her feelings should be respected. I tender an apology towards her if she had felt bad about my behaviour. Sorry," the actor-turned-politician said in a Facebook post.

A purported video of the incident shows Gopi responding to a question posed by the journalist with 'Mole' (daughter) and placing his hand on her shoulder.

The journalist moves back and then when she asks a second question, the actor again places his hand on her shoulder and the journalist is seen pushing away his hand.

However, the journalist said the apology seemed to be an "explanation" rather than an apology and said that she would move legally against the actor. Kerala Journalists' Union state president MV Vineetha and general secretary R Kiran Babu demanded that Suresh Gopi admit his mistake and issue an apology to the journalist, as per a press release by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists.

"KUWJ will file a complaint against Suresh Gopi, who misbehaved with the journalist while interacting with media in women's commission," they added in the release.

"Other appropriate legal actions will be taken. This is an insult to all women who have taken up this profession," the release stated. "In the video, it can be seen that he placed his hand on the shoulder of a journalist who asked a question that he didn't like, and she removed it. It is clear in the footage that even when this was repeated, the hand had to be removed. Whatever the justification, Suresh Gopi's action is unacceptable," KUWJ said in the release. "This is highly condemnable and the union stands firm with the journalist," the release stated.