 "Allu Arjun appears before Hyderabad police for questioning in stampede case")
Actor Allu Arjun on Tuesday appeared before the Hyderabad police after he was summoned for questioning in connection with a case of stampede at a film theatre. The actor reached Chikkadpally police station at 11 am.
The stampede incident occurred at Hyderabad's Sandhya Theatre on December 4 during the premiere of Allu Arjun's 'Pushpa 2'. The death of a woman during the stampede sparked political tensions in Telangana which led to the actor's arrest. While Allu Arjun was released, his residence in Hyderabad was attacked on Monday. On the same day, a Hyderabad court granted bail to six people arrested for allegedly vandalising the actor’s residence. As a precaution, police have heightened security at Arjun’s home in Jubilee Hills.
Telangana Chief Minister intervenes
Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy condemned the attack and directed the state DGP and city police commissioner to take stringent measures to uphold law and order.
Telangana minister blames Opposition
Telangana minister D Anasuya Seethakka accused opposition parties — Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — of exploiting the situation for political gains. She highlighted the human cost of the tragedy, with one life lost and another person still fighting for survival.
“The BRS leaders act differently when in power and out of it. During the statehood agitation, BRS members threw stones at the film industry. Did they not think of the film industry then? Are we now suggesting the film industry should leave the state?” she said.
Actor’s family involved in political talks
In related developments, actor Allu Arjun’s father-in-law, Chandrasekhar Reddy, met AICC Telangana in-charge Deepa Dasmunsi at Gandhi Bhavan, as confirmed by TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud. However, the details of their discussion remain undisclosed.
What happened during the movie premiere?
The stampede occurred during the premiere of Pushpa 2: The Rule, resulting in the death of a 35-year-old woman and leaving her son critically injured due to asphyxiation, according to police reports. On December 4, a massive crowd had gathered to catch a glimpse of Allu Arjun, who attended the screening with his co-star Rashmika Mandanna and wife Allu Sneha Reddy.
Telangana authorities were reportedly not informed in advance about Arjun’s attendance at the event. While the theatre management was aware of his visit, they failed to notify the police, preventing the implementation of additional security measures to manage the crowd.
The situation escalated due to the absence of separate entry and exit points for the audience, leading to overcrowding. The stampede occurred when fans surged forward to see Arjun, resulting in chaos and the tragic incident.
(With agency inputs)