Hyderabad (Telangana):

The boy injured in the Sandhya theatre incident during the premiere of Pushpa 2 in Telangana’s Hyderabad has responded after 20 days, his father said on Tuesday.

Speaking to the media on Tuesday, Bhaskar, the father of the injured child, expressed gratitude for the support they are receiving. “The child responded after 20 days… he is responding today. Allu Arjun and the Telangana government are supporting us,” he said.

Earlier in the day, actor Allu Arjun was questioned by Hyderabad police in connection with the tragic incident that occurred during the premiere of his film Pushpa 2 on December 4.

The controversy stems from an incident on December 4, when Allu Arjun attended the premiere of Pushpa 2: The Rule at the Sandhya Theatre.

A massive crowd gathered to catch a glimpse of the actor, and chaos ensued when he waved to fans from the sunroof of his car. This led to the tragic death of a woman named Revathi and injuries to her child.

Following the incident, Allu Arjun was arrested and later released on bail after furnishing a Rs 50,000 bond.

In the latest development, Pushpa 2 producers Naveen Yerneni and Ravi Shankar handed over a 50 lakh cheque to Revathi’s family in the presence of Telangana Minister for Roads & Buildings and Cinematography, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, at KIMS Hospital, Hyderabad. The cheque was received by Revathi’s husband, the father of Sri Tej, who is undergoing treatment at the hospital.

Producer Naveen Yerneni stated, “This is a very unfortunate incident. We have been deeply saddened since the day it happened. We cannot express our feelings. Revathi’s death is a significant loss for the family. We visited the boy in the hospital, and he is recovering. The doctors are doing their best. We want to support the family, and this cheque is part of that effort.”

The incident has sparked political controversy, with Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy blaming Allu Arjun for the tragedy. Addressing the Assembly, Reddy revealed that police had denied permission for any event at Sandhya Theatre due to safety concerns.

“On December 2, Sanadhya theatre owners requested arrangements for the cast and crew of Pushpa 2 to attend the premiere at Sandhya Theatre on December 4,” Reddy said.

“However, on December 3, the Chikkadpally Circle Inspector rejected the request in writing, citing the theatre’s location in a congested area with only one entry and exit point, making it difficult to ensure safety. Despite this, the actor attended the event, climbed onto his car roof, and conducted a roadshow, worsening the situation,” he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

Unseen footage from Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre – where a stampede December 4, as actor Allu Arjun’s ‘Pushpa 2: The Rise‘ was being screened, killed a young mother and critically injured her eight-year-old child – shows the confusion and chaos that prevailed that night.

The 14-second clip doesn’t have audio but shows a crowd pushing and shoving as they funnel through a doorway. The metal gates on either side are literally torn from their hinges. The ground is littered with pieces of paper and plastic water bottles stomped on by the surging mob.

The timestamp on the video is around 9.15 pm, which is 15 minutes before Allu Arjun arrived – unannounced, according to the police – at the theatre. News of the actor’s arrival, the cops have alleged, led to the stampede as adoring fans fell over each other to get a glimpse of the actor.

In the crush that followed Revathi, 35, was killed and her eight-year-old son, Sri Tej, was left critically injured. Mr Arjun, 41, was arrested nine days after the tragic incident.

A lower court sent him to judicial custody for 14 days but, in a cinema-like twist, a few hours later the Telangana High Court granted interim bail, underscoring the actor’s right to liberty.

Mr Arjun spent the night in jail anyway because the court’s order came late.

Out on bail, the actor was summoned today to join the police investigation. He did so, appearing at the city’s Chikkadpally Police Station for a nearly four-hour question session.

Among the questions thrown at him by the police were:

• Did you know police permission had been denied for you to come to the premiere?
• Who took the call to proceed with the plan (for the actor to attend the special screening) despite denial of police permission?
• Did any police officer inform you about the stampede outside?
• When did you know about the death of the woman?

READ | “Did You Know…”: What Cops Asked Allu Arjun In ‘Pushpa 2’ Stampede Case

The actor and his security team, and the theatre owner, general and security managers have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. 

On his part, Allu Arjun has rejected allegations he was responsible for the stampede and the death of the woman. On Saturday, he told reporters the incident was “very unfortunate” and criticised what he called “misinformation” and “character assassination” against him.

READ | “Misinformation, Character Assassination”: Actor Allu Arjun On Stampede Row

Public sentiment, though, has been divided; on Sunday there was a protest outside his home.

A mob barged in and vandalised parts of the compound; they broke flower pots and threw tomatoes at the building. The protesters, reportedly university students, also shouted slogans till they were ejected.

Hyderabad:

Telugu actor Allu Arjun was questioned by Hyderabad Police Tuesday after a stampede at a city theatre this month killed a 35-year-old woman and left her eight-year-old with life-threatening injuries.

Mr Arjun, 41, had been summoned by the cops Monday to join the investigation.

Among the questions thrown at him by the police were:

• Did you know police permission had been denied for you to come to the premiere?
• Who took the call to proceed with the plan (for the actor to attend the special screening) despite denial of police permission?
• Did any police officer inform you about the stampede outside?
• When did you know about the death of the woman?

The questions are in line with what sources told NDTV will be the focus of the investigation – a. did Mr Arjun have permission to appear at the theatre, and b. did he have permission to interact with fans outside the theatre, which is in a city neighbourhood home to other cinema halls?

Allu Arjun had been arrested by the police on December 13, nine days after the stampede at Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre. Hours later he was sent to judicial custody for 14 days.

READ | “Just Because He’s An Actor…”: Court Grants Interim Bail To Allu Arjun

However, hours after that, in a dramatic twist, Mr Arjun was released on interim bail by the Telangana High Court, which cited his fundamental right to liberty and flagged possible police overreach. “Just because he is an actor… he cannot be held like this,” the court said.

The police have claimed Allu Arjun’s unannounced arrival at the theatre – for a special screening of his new film – prompted the stampede as large numbers of his fans jostled and shoved each other aside for a glimpse of the actor. The young woman died in the melee that followed.

The woman, whom police have identified as Revathi, and her son were pulled out from under the crowd by the cops, who performed emergency first aid and rushed them to hospital.

The police claim Mr Arjun arrived at 9.30 pm. As news of his arrival – he used the main entrance and spent 15-20 minutes outside – spread, hundreds gathered. His security team – and bouncers at the theatre – started pushing the crowd back and that aggravated the situation.

According to the timeline being built by the cops, Allu Arjun had, by this time, disappeared into the theatre – after holding what the police said was an impromptu roadshow despite warnings.

The cops also said the bouncers were “behaving recklessly”.

“Despite the presence of the public and police, they pushed everyone aside. Their sole focus was on the VIP (Mr Arjun),” Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand told reporters last week.

READ | In Stampede Row, CCTV Shows Cops Escorting Allu Arjun From Theatre

Mr Arjun has denied holding any roadshow. “I just waved to people and went inside. No cop asked me to leave… my manager told me there is a crowd and asked me to leave,” he said.

The actor, through his office, has also countered the police’s claim they were not informed about his arrival. A letter was made public shortly after his arrest; it was dated 48 hours prior to the screening and asked for security to be made for a visit by Mr Arjun and his co-stars.

READ | After Allu Arjun’s Arrest, Letter Contradicts Cops’ “No Info” Claim

The police, though, have said no details were provided and that neither Mr Arjun’s security team nor theatre management made the request in person, as is the protocol in such cases.

The actor and his security team, and the theatre owner, general and security managers have been charged with culpable homicide not amounting to murder. The theatre owner and staff were among six arrested after Mr Arjun; all six have since received bail.

Mr Arjun has been defended by his fellow actors, who say he cannot be held responsible for the actions of others. He too has dismissed allegations he was responsible for the tragic death.

Speaking at a press conference Saturday, he described the incident as “very unfortunate” and criticised what he called “misinformation” and “character assassination” against him.

READ | “Misinformation, Character Assassination”: Actor Allu Arjun On Stampede Row

Public sentiment, though, has been divided; on Sunday there was a protest outside his home.

A mob barged in and vandalised parts of the compound; they broke flower pots and threw tomatoes at the building. The protesters, reportedly university students, also shouted slogans till they were ejected.

The woman’s husband spoke to NDTV Monday and said he does not blame the actor for the stampede, and is ready to withdraw the police case against him. He claimed to have received the “full support” of Mr Arjun. The actor announced Rs 25 lakh for the family, while the producers of his film, ‘Pushpa 2: The Rise’, have announced Rs 50 lakh more.

Hyderabad:
Actor Arjun Allu has been summoned by Hyderabad police today as part of the ongoing probe into the stampede during the screening of his movie ‘Pushpa-2’. A woman was killed and her son critically injured in the incident this month.

Here Are Top Points On ‘Pushpa 2’ Screening Stampede Case:

Telugu actor Allu Arjun walked out of jail on Saturday morning, a day after he was arrested in connection with the stampede outside a Hyderabad theatre screening ‘Pushpa 2’ earlier this month in which one woman died. The actor left the jail premises from the back gate with his father Allu Aravind and father-in-law Kancharla Chandrasekhar Reddy – who had come to receive him, officials said.

Upon his release, Allu Arjun’s lawyer Ashok Reddy said that the actor’s arrest was an “illegal detention” as the jail authorities did not release him despite receiving an order copy from the Telangana High Court yesterday.

“They received an order copy from the High Court but despite that, they didn’t release him…They will have to answer. This is an illegal detention. We will take legal action…As of now, he has been released,” he said.

Allu Arjun was arrested from his house in Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad on Friday, hours after he returned from Delhi after attending the success meet of ‘Pushpa 2’. A lower court had remanded him to 14-day judicial custody. However, shortly after, the Telangana High Court granted interim bail for four weeks.

For regular bail, the actor was told to approach the Nampally court.

‘Pushpa 2’ Stampede Case

On December 4, a stampede broke out at a theatre in Hyderabad screening Allu Arjun-starrer ‘Pushpa 2’ when the actor made what the police called an “unscheduled” visit to the auditorium. During the incident, one woman was killed and her son was injured.

The Hyderabad police had registered a case against Allu Arjun, his security team, and the management of the theatre, based on a complaint filed by the victim’s husband. According to police, there was no intimation from theatre management or the actor’s team that they would be visiting the theatre. The theatre management also did not make any additional provisions regarding security to manage the crowd, officials said.

The theatre owner, general manager, and security manager were arrested on December 8.

However, hours after Allu Arjun was arrested in the case yesterday, the victim’s husband defended the actor and said that he was ready to withdraw the case.

“I am ready to withdraw the case. I was not aware of the arrest. Allu Arjun has nothing to do with the stampede in which my wife passed away,” he said.

Reactions pour in on Allu Arjun’s arrest

Several politicians and people from the film industry came in support of Allu Arjun and slammed his arrest.

BRS leader KT Rama Rao hit out at the Congress government in Telangana, calling the action against the actor a “pinnacle of insecurity of rulers”.

“I totally sympathise with the victims of the stampede but who failed really? Treating Allu Arjun as a common criminal is uncalled for especially for something he isn’t directly responsible. There is always space for respect and dignified conduct. I strongly condemn high-handed behaviour of the government,” he said.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw called the stampede incident a “poor arrangement by the state and local administration”. According to him, Congress has “no respect” for the creative industry.

“…The arrest of Allu Arjun proves it yet again. The mishap at Sandhya Theatre was a clear case of poor arrangements by the state and local administration. Now, to deflect that blame, they are indulging in such publicity stunts. The Telangana Government should assist those affected and punish those making the arrangements that day instead of continuously attacking film personalities,” he wrote on X.