Hyderabad:

Telugu actor Allu Arjun’s father and film producer Allu Aravind on Wednesday visited an eight-year-old boy undergoing treatment at a private hospital here after sustaining severe injuries in a stampede during the premiere of Pushpa 2, and assured the family of full support for the child’s recovery.

Addressing reporters, Allu Aravind quoted doctors as saying that while there is progress in Sritej’s recovery, it will be a long process. He also commended the Telangana government for taking responsibility for the boy’s treatment.

Addressing questions from fans and the media about why Allu Arjun had not visited the hospital, Allu Aravind clarified that the actor had intended to visit the boy a day after the tragic incident on December 4. However, hospital authorities had advised against it, citing ongoing legal proceedings.

“Our legal team strongly advised Allu Arjun not to visit the hospital or meet the boy’s parents due to the pending police case,” Allu Aravind explained. “Since he couldn’t go, he felt that I should visit on his behalf.” Allu Aravind expressed gratitude to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, the police, and hospital officials for permitting his visit.

A medical bulletin released by the hospital on Wednesday said Sritej’s neurological condition remains critical, though he is stable and without fever.

“Today, Sritej underwent a tracheostomy tube placement. The procedure was uneventful. He remains afebrile and is maintaining normal vital parameters with low-dose inotropes. However, his neurological status remains unchanged,” the bulletin stated.

Allu Arjun had earlier wished the boy a speedy recovery through a post on X (formerly Twitter), expressing his eagerness to meet the child and his family. “Due to ongoing legal proceedings, I have been advised not to visit them at this time,” the actor wrote.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner C V Anand and State Health Secretary Christina Z Chongthu, who visited the hospital on Tuesday, assured that the government would cover all expenses for the boy’s treatment.

The tragic incident occurred on December 4 during a stampede at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad, where thousands of fans had gathered to see Allu Arjun at the premiere of Pushpa 2. The eight-year-old boy’s 35-year-old mother died in the chaos, while Sritej sustained critical injuries.

Following the incident, Hyderabad Police registered a case against Allu Arjun, his security team, and the theatre management under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The case, registered at the Chikkadpally police station, was based on a complaint from the woman’s family.

Allu Arjun was arrested on December 13 but granted interim bail by the Telangana High Court. He was released on the morning of December 14.

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

Hyderabad:

Telugu actor Allu Arjun has been arrested in connection with the stampede outside a Hyderabad theatre last week in which one woman was killed. Shortly after he was taken into custody Mr Arjun filed a petition seeking to delay his arrest till Monday; the court hearing will take place at 2.30 pm.

Mr Arjun was taken from his Jubilee Hills home to the Chikkadpally Police Station. The actor’s father – well-known filmmaker Allu Arvind – and other family members were present when he was arrested.

Hyderabad Police had earlier filed a case against the 41-year-old star and several others, including members of his security team and the management of the Sandhya Theatre in the city.

READ | Viral Video Shows ‘Pushpa 2‘ Star Allu Arjun’s Arrest By Police

#WATCH | Telangana: L Ramesh Kumar, ACP Chikkadpally says, “Yes, he (Actor Allu Arjun) has been arrested.”

Allu Arjun was brought to Chikkadpally police station in Hyderabad for questioning in connection with the case of death of a woman at Sandhya theatre on December 4. pic.twitter.com/rrupOlnoWv

— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2024

On December 11, he moved the Telangana High Court, seeking orders to quash the case.

Charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder and voluntarily causing hurt were filed.

The investigation now will focus on two questions – did Mr Arjun have police permission to appear at the theatre that was holding a special showing of his ‘Pusha 2: The Rule‘, and did he have permission to interact with fans outside the theatre, which is in an area home to other cinema halls.

Pushpa 2 Stampede

The stampede broke after the hugely popular actor made an unscheduled appearance at the theatre showing his new film ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule‘. A 35-year-old woman was killed and her nine-year-old son was injured as the massive crowd jostled and shoved each other to catch a glimpse of Allu Arjun on his unannounced arrival; Allu Arjun and the film’s music director, Devi Sr Prasad, arrived unexpectedly.

Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand had said then, “There was no intimation from the side of theatre management or actors’ team… that they will be visiting the theatre…” and noted also that no separate entry, or exit, had been provided, even though the theatre knew they were coming.

According to the police, Mr Arjun arrived at the theatre at 9.30 pm. As news of his arrival – he used the main entrance and spent 15-20 minutes outside – spread, hundreds of people thronged to catch a glimpse of him. His security team started pushing the crowd back and that aggravated the situation.

The woman, identified as Revathi, and her son felt “suffocated”, the police said. They were pulled out of the crowd by police who performed emergency first aid and shifted them to a nearby hospital.

Mr Arjun, by this time, had gone into the theatre, but the crowd had continued building in the lobby.

Responding to the stampede and the woman’s death, Arjun later said on X, “Deeply heartbroken by the tragic incident… My heartfelt condolences go out to the grieving family during this unimaginably difficult time. I want to assure them they are not alone in this pain and will meet the family personally.”

READ | Allu Arjun Offers Rs 25 Lakh Aid To Family Of Woman Killed

Mr Arjun also announced assistance of Rs 25 lakh for the woman’s family, and also promised to take care of the medical expenses of the boy, whose condition was critical.

The tragic stampede sparked widespread criticism, with many calling for stricter regulations around celebrity events to prevent such tragedies.

With input from agencies

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Hyderabad:

Two days after a woman died and her son was critically injured at a theatre during the premier show of ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’, actor Allu Arjun said on Friday that he is ‘deeply heartbroken’ and announced an assistance of Rs 25 lakh for the family.

The actor assured the grieving family that he would meet them personally and extend every possible assistance.

Allu Arjun also promised to take care of medical expenses of the boy, whose condition remained critical.

Allu Arjun took to X to react to the tragedy that occurred at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad on the night of December 4.

“Deeply heartbroken by the tragic incident at Sandhya Theatre. My heartfelt condolences go out to the grieving family during this unimaginably difficult time. I want to assure them they are not alone in this pain and will meet the family personally. While respecting their need for space to grieve, I stand committed to extend every possible assistance to help them navigate through this challenging journey,” wrote Allu Arjun.

In a video posted in Telugu, he said the entire film team was shocked over the incident. He said as a goodwill gesture he was announcing Rs 25 lakh for the family to secure their future.

Stating that they make films so that people go to theatres and enjoy, he appealed to people to be careful.

Hyderabad Police on Thursday booked actor Allu Arjun, his security team and the management of Sandhya Theatre.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (Central Zone) Akshansh Yadav said based on a complaint by the killed woman’s husband, the police have registered a case.

Chikkadpally Police Station registered the case under sections 105 (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 118(1) (Voluntarily causing hurt) r/w 3(5) BNS.

The DCP told mediapersons that there was no information from the theatre management or 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.

According to the police, one Revathi (35) and her son Sri Tej (13) felt suffocated due to large public influx and immediately the police personnel who were on duty pulled them out of the public from the lower balcony and performed CPR to her son and immediately shifted them to the nearby Durgabai Deshmukh Hospital.

The doctor of Durgabai Deshmukh Hospital informed that she was dead and son Sri Tej was advised to be shifted to another hospital for better treatment.

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

Telugu actor Allu Arjun will be charged for the stampede that erupted outside a Hyderabad theatre and left one woman dead on Wednesday, after he arrived without prior intimation for the premiere show of his movie “Pushpa 2: The Rule”, police said on Thursday.

Besides the actor, the management of Sandhya Theatre will also be charged for not making any “additional provisions regarding security to manage the crowd”. 

There was no immediate reaction either from Mr Arjun nor the theatre management till the time of filing this report. 

In a statement, Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand said “there was no intimation from the side of theatre management or actors team that they will be visiting the theatre…”

The top cop said there was no separate entry or exit for the actor and his team, even though the theatre management was aware of their arrival. 

A 35-year-old woman died and her nine-year-son was hospitalised due to asphyxiation as a huge crowd jostled at the film theatre to catch a glimpse of Mr Arjun, who arrived with music director Devi Sri Prasad for the screening on Wednesday evening.

Police said that as a heavy crowd rushed ahead, the theatre’s main gate collapsed, prompting the security personnel to resort to lathi charge to control the mob. Despite efforts to maintain order, the stampede turned fatal.

The woman was identified as Revathi and her son was identified as Teja. Teja is believed to be in a critical condition and is currently undergoing treatment. The family has demanded accountability from the threatre management, and sought a response from the actor on the incident. They have also demanded that Mr Arjun provide them with support. 

Police said a case has been booked under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita on the basis of a complaint by the woman’s family. “Stringent action as per law will be taken against all the persons responsible for the chaotic situation inside the theatre leading to the death of a person and injury to others,” the top cop said.