Kochi: Actor Sreenath Bhasi, who was arrested for abusing a woman anchor during the promotional event of his latest movie, will be subjected to drug tests on Tuesday.
The tests are to rule out claims that Bhasi, who was released on bail on Monday, had consumed drugs or alcohol during the controversial interview last week.
The development comes despite the woman's complaint stating nothing to that effect.
Bhasi's fingernail, hair and blood samples were collected at the Maradu police station for alcohol tests. The test results will be out in a day or two.
Bhasi was arrested for abusing a female anchor of a popular entertainment YouTube channel during an interview whilst promoting his latest movie, Chattambi.
In a video clip of the interview that was widely circulated on social media, Bhasi is seen visibly annoyed at some of the "silly" questions thrown at him by the anchor.
The actor can also be heard telling the crew to stop filming. The YouTube channel alleges that Bhasi verbally abused the crew after the camera was turned off.
They further allege that despite the intervention of the movie's promotion team shortly after the incident, Bhasi showed no remorse for his behaviour but instead threw more abuses at them.
The case aggravated further when Bhasi made a mockery of further attempts to settle the matter.
The YouTube channel filed a complaint at Maradu station and demanded that the actor apologises for his behaviour, especially to the two female anchors.
Police arrested Bhasi on Monday citing sections 354 A (making sexually coloured remarks), 294 B (uttering obscene words in or near any public words), and 509 (word or gesture intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Indian Penal Code. He was released on bail later that day.
In wake of the controversy, Bhasi on Sunday tendered a public apology to those he had hurt with his words.
While admitting that the mistake was his, Bhasi, in an interview to a popular news channel, said that he was under a lot of stress at the time of the incident.
He also said that the outcry from the public since the incident, especially the "very hurtful comments on social media", had left him very disheartened.
However, towards the latter half of the interview, Bhasi backtracked and claimed to be the "real victim".
He said people have used this incident to ruin his name, his new cinema, his happiness, and the love that people had for him.
Chattambi, Bhasi's first outing in a lead role, was dubbed to be a game-changer for the actor. It remains to be seen if the latest incident has put a dent in those aspirations.
