Actor-politician Suresh Gopi apologises to woman journo for 'misbehaviour'
Thiruvananthapuram (PTI): Actor turned politician Suresh Gopi on Saturday tendered an apology for his alleged misbehaviour with a woman journalist during an interaction with reporters, saying he only treated her with affection.
The former BJP Rajya Sabha MP said he had never been disrespectful to anyone in his life on or off the stage and apologised to her if she had suffered any mental agony due to his behaviour.
He said he had treated the woman journalist affectionately in the presence of other media persons.
"But, in my opinion, whatever she feels about it should be respected. I tender an apology if she felt bad or suffered any mental stress anyway... Sorry," Gopi, also a national award-winning actor, said in a Facebook post.
Earlier, the Democratic Youth Federation of India, the youth wing of the ruling CPI (M), the Network of Women in Media, Kerala and the Kerala Union of Working Journalists strongly condemned the BJP leader's behaviour with the television journalist.
The KUWJ had termed Gopi's behaviour an 'insult' to all working women and demanded an unconditional apology from him.
The row erupted after a video that surfaced online purportedly showing Gopi placing his hand on the shoulder of the journalist, who pushes it away twice, during a media interaction in northern Kozhikode on Friday.
— Suressh Gopi (@TheSureshGopi) October 28, 2023
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Massive fire destroys 10 fishing boats in Kerala's Kollam
Kollam (PTI): Around 10 fishing boats anchored in Ashtamudi Lake were gutted in a massive fire in the early hours of Sunday, police said.
The incident occurred in the Kureepuzha area under the jurisdiction of the Anchalumood police station.
According to police, the blaze was first spotted past midnight, and the boats, anchored in a row, caught fire. Residents and fire personnel rushed to contain the flames.
"As per preliminary assessment, around 10 boats were destroyed. The exact cause is yet to be identified, but a gas cylinder blast is suspected," a police officer said, adding no casualties have been reported.
Lok Sabha MP N K Premachandran urged the government to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the incident, citing repeated fire outbreaks in the region, including a similar case at Mukkad just days ago.
"Recurring incidents have caused widespread concern among those dependent on the fisheries sector," Premachandran said, noting that preliminary suspicion points to a gas stove explosion.
He called for a detailed investigation to determine the cause and urged the government to provide compensation to those affected.
