Thiruvananthapuram(DC): Even 24 hours after actor Shweta Menon complained of on-stage harassment at the Presidents Trophy Boat Race in Kollam on Friday, the police was in two minds on taking suo motu action but started a probe when the DYFI lodged a complaint with the city commissioner.

All through the day, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan maintained a police probe would depend on a formal complaint.

DYFI Kollam district secretary V P Prasanth submitted a formal complaint to Kollam Commissioner Debesh Kumar Behera on Saturday evening. Behera constituted a team of women police officers who would proceed to Kochi to record Shweta’s statement.

“We will register a case if she sticks to her complaint,” said a police officer. Prasanth said the police was bound to act under section 154 (3) CrPC which empowered an officer of the rank of district SP to investigate either by himself or through his subordinates, if the information brought to his notice pointed to a cognizable offence.

Surprisingly, even district collector B Mohanan, who has supervisory control over the police in the district, did not ask the police to probe whether reports in the media, citing the actors charges, had substance, especially because the needle of suspicion pointed towards the Congress MP, N Peethambara Kurup.

The police is entitled to initiate suo motu action under the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act 2013 (post-Delhi gang rape).