Thiruvananthapuram: Mangalam TV, the private channel that aired the audio clip purportedly containing former Transport Minister A K Saseendran's conversation tendered an unconditional apology Thursday night.
The apology from Mangalam CEO A Ajithkumar was telecast soon after the government announced a police probe into the incident, which forced Saseendran to quit as Transport Minister.
The channel also admitted that it was a sting operation carried out by its editorial team.
It said the woman was not a housewife as claimed by the channel at the time of telecasting the conversation.
In a related development, the police registered two FIRs on two different complaints on the same matter.
Meanwhile, Kerala Union of Working Journalists demanded a detailed police investigation along with a judicial probe to clear the "mystery" of the whole matter.
KUWJ General secretary C Narayanan, in a statement, said even isolated incidents of insulting and doubting women journalists were very unfortunate.
Saseendran, an NCP nominee in the LDF ministry, resigned on March 26 after Mangalam TV aired an audio clipping, purportedly of him having a telephonic conversation with a woman to whom he was speaking in sexual overtones.
The channel had claimed that the woman was a housewife who had called the minister for redressal of some of her grievances.
Meanwhile, Saseendran, who reached his home district Kozhikode, said, "People of the state are convinced about what had happened" but did not elaborate.