Malayalam actor and BJP leader Suresh Gopi has landed in trouble after a woman journalist registered a complaint against him for allegedly misbehaving with her while speaking to the media in Kozhikode on Friday.

In her complaint filed with Kozhikode City Police Commissioner and Kerala Women’s Commission, journalist alleged that Suresh Gopi’s actions amounted to outraging the modesty of a woman and harassment at the workplace.

P  Sathidevi,chairperson of  Kerala Women’s Commission confirmed that the complaint of the journalist has been received.  The Women’s Commission has sought a detailed report in the matter from the police within 15 days.

Meanwhile, the police on Saturday booked Suresh Gopi over the complaint lodged by the woman journalist. The police have invoked IPC section 354 A against the actor punishable up to three years of imprisonment and or with a fine.

The row erupted after a video surfaced online purportedly showing  Suresh Gopi placing his hand on the shoulder of the journalist, who pushes it away twice, during a media interaction in Kozhikode on Friday.

The Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) sought an apology from the actor. Following this, Suresh Gopi issued an apology stating that he had never been disrespectful to anyone in his life on or off the stage and that he had treated the woman journalist affectionately like a father and never intended to be disrespectful.

“I have never misbehaved with anyone either in public space or privately. I had touched the reporter with fatherly affection. But if the person felt that I was behaving inappropriately, I respect her feelings. If my behaviour has hurt her, I apologise for it,” Suresh Gopi wrote on Facebook.

“If she has felt that I touched her inappropriately, I apologise like a father. I was leaving the premises after speaking to the reporters, but the woman was blocking my way. I didn’t have any wrong intention. I had tried to contact the reporter over the phone to apologise, but she didn’t attend the call. Now if she is taking legal action against me, what can I do? I have three daughters and I had behaved like a father,” he further said.

Meanwhile, BJP leader Shobha Surendran alleged that there was a political motive behind filing a complaint against Suresh Gopi alleging that his actions amounted to outraging the modesty of women and harassment. She said there is a political conspiracy behind this.

Suresh Gopi has shown the decency to apologise to the journalist, the issue should have ended there, she said.

She said the journalist wouldn’t have dared to file a complaint unless outside political interference. She alleged that the brain behind the complaint is Minister Mohammed Riyas. The CPI-M is taking revenge on the Karuvannur bank issue, she further said.