Suresh Gopi apologises to woman journalist for placing hand on her shoulder

Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 28 (IANS) Malayalam superstar and BJP leader Suresh Gopi on Saturday tendered an apology to a woman journalist for placing his hand on her shoulder twice, while speaking to the media.

Taking to social media most, the politician stated that till date neither in public or private space has he behaved inappropriately.

"Now that the lady journalist has expressed her feelings, I fully accept it. I apologise to her if she felt bad and has been affected in any manner," said Gopi, who was a nominated member of the Rajya Sabha till early this year.

It was on Friday that Gopi, while addressing the media persons around him, had placed his hand on her shoulder while replying to her.

Following the incident, the journalist bodies protested against the "inappropriate" behaviour of Gopi and demanded an apology.

Quick to latch on was the CPI(M) and its youth wing and condemned the act, while veteran Congress legislator Ramesh Chennithala opined that its always better to avoid such situations and now that Gopi has apologised, the matter can be allowed to rest.

But the woman journalist pointed out Gopi's response was more than an explanation.

Meanwhile, the journalist is likely to go forward with her complaint against the actor, who will be contesting the Thrissur Lok Sabha seat for the BJP, which he did in 2019 and came third, but managed to get 2.93 lakh votes.