Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Monday publicly apologised to Mammootty over the incident that took place during the veteran actor's visit to Wayanad Township.

During the inauguration of the multi-storey building at Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital, Vijayan said he is publicly apologising in case the actor felt hurt or distressed by the cyber attack he faced following the incident.

“The large-scale attacks on Mammootty on social media were extremely unfortunate. It is regrettable that the social media warriors of the CPM did not recognise a great actor like Mammootty,” the Chief Minister added.

The issue surfaced after Mammootty reportedly expressed displeasure towards the party's Wayanad district secretary K Rafeeq, for accompanying him during his personal visit to the newly built township in Wayanad on Saturday.

According to reports, the actor asked Rafeeq why he was standing close to him and said people might think he had come there for the ruling party.

The video of the incident circulated widely on social media late that night, triggering a wave of cyberattacks against Mammootty.

In the ensuing controversy, Rafeeq later responded on Facebook, explaining that he interpreted the actor’s comments as non-offensive. He also requested that Mammootty’s visit to the township be discussed only positively. Rafeeq emphasised that the actor himself clarified things directly during the visit and that the matter should be considered closed.

Mammootty, speaking to Rafeeq on the phone, clarified that he did not intend to insult anyone with his words. He added that it was a private remark and he had not anticipated it would create such a widespread controversy.