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 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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