Politician Says Sorry After Reporter Complains He “Touched” Shoulder

India: The woman journalist, at the centre of a controversy involving Malayalam actor-politician Suresh Gopi, said she will take legal action against the former Rajya Sabha MP’s behaviour.

Mr Gopi on Saturday apologised to the journalist for putting his hands on her shoulder twice while responding to questions by journalists in Kerala’s Kozhikode on Friday.

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

“If she felt bad about my behaviour, her feelings should be respected. I tender an apology to her if she had felt bad about my behaviour. Sorry,” the actor-politician said on Facebook.

A purported video of the incident shows Suresh Gopi responding to a question posed by the journalist and placing his hand on her shoulder. The journalist is seen moving back and asking a second question. The actor again places his hand on her shoulder and she pushes it away.

However, the journalist said the apology seemed to be an “explanation” rather than an apology and said she would take legal action.

The Kerala Journalists’ Union president, MV Vineetha, and general secretary R Kiran Babu demanded that Suresh Gopi admit his mistake and issue an apology to the journalist, a press release by the Kerala Union of Working Journalists (KUWJ) said.