December 13, 2024
Allu Arjun, the beloved Telugu star, has been arrested by Hyderabad police in connection with the tragic stampede at Sandhya Theatre during the premiere of his latest film, Pushpa 2: The Rule. The incident, which occurred on December 4, claimed the life of a woman named Revathi. As police officers waited at his residence to take him into custody, Allu Arjun was heard saying, “There’s nothing wrong with taking me (into custody), but doing it from right outside the bedroom is too much.”
The scene at his residence was tense, with officers escorting Allu Arjun to the parking space. A staff member brought him coffee while the police waited. Allu Arjun was seen comforting his wife, Allu Sneha Reddy, with his father Allu Aravind and brother Allu Sirish also present. A police officer suggested that Allu Aravind accompany his son in the police vehicle, but the officers decided it might look misleading and could be misreported by the media.
The stampede at Sandhya 70 mm theatre was triggered by Allu Arjun’s surprise visit for the premiere show. Revathi, a resident of Dilshuknagar, died in the stampede as the crowd thronged to catch a glimpse of the actor, who was accompanied by his personal security team. Police criticized the actor’s security team for escalating the situation. “His personal security team started pushing the public, which further aggravated the situation as there was already a huge gathering at the theatre,” stated Hyderabad Central Zone Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) Akshansh Yadav.
Allu Arjun, his security team, and the Sandhya Theatre management face charges under Sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 108 (voluntarily causing hurt) read with Section 3 clause 5 (acts done by several in furtherance of common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Despite the incident, Allu Arjun released a video offering condolences to Revathi’s family and announced Rs 25 lakh as compensation. He urged fans to be careful and called the incident deeply saddening but faced criticism for not apologizing for the stampede.
Three individuals have already been arrested in connection with the incident: M Sandeep, a partner of Sandhya Theatre, M Nagaraju, the theatre’s manager, and Sri Gandhakam Vijay Chander, the lower balcony in-charge.
Allu Arjun filed a petition in the Telangana High Court on December 11, seeking to quash the FIR against him.
