Actor Allu Arjun, star of Pushpa 2: The Rule, has been placed under 14 days of judicial custody following his arrest in connection with the tragic death of a woman, Revathi, during a crowd surge at Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre on December 4. The incident occurred during a screening of the movie, where a massive turnout led to a stampede. The victim died of asphyxiation, and her eight-year-old son was critically injured.
Legal Proceedings
Arjun was arrested on Friday morning from his residence and brought to the Chikkadpally police station for questioning. He faces charges under Sections 118(1) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, which deal with negligence and failure to act responsibly in a situation leading to public harm.
Also Read: Hyderabad stampede death case: Court send Allu Arjun to 14 Days of Judicial Custody
In court, Arjun’s legal team argued that the charges were misplaced. His lawyer emphasized that the incident stemmed from poor crowd control and mismanagement by the theatre and local authorities, rather than deliberate negligence or intent on the actor’s part. The defense sought interim bail, contending that the actor’s presence at the event was not intended to incite such chaos, and that assigning criminal liability was unwarranted.
Industry Support
The incident has drawn reactions from across the Telugu film industry. Actor Nani publicly expressed his support for Allu Arjun and called the incident “heart-breaking and unfortunate.” Posting on X (formerly Twitter), Nani stated, “The focus should be on learning from this disaster and introducing measures to ensure such tragedies don’t happen again. We are all at fault here. One person is not responsible for this.” He also criticized the disproportionate scrutiny placed on cinema personalities while urging for better measures to safeguard public events.
Moving Forward
The case has sparked widespread debate over celebrity responsibility, crowd control, and public safety during high-profile events. Many in the film industry have echoed Nani’s call for systemic changes, pointing to the need for collaboration between event organizers, authorities, and public figures to prevent such tragedies in the future.
As investigations continue, Hyderabad police have already arrested three individuals tied to the management of Sandhya Theatre. All eyes are now on the Telangana High Court as it deliberates on Arjun’s interim bail application.
I wish the kind of enthusiasm government authorities and media show in anything related to people from cinema was also there for the regular citizens. We would have lived in a better society. That was an unfortunate incident and it was heart breaking. We should all learn from the…
— Nani (@NameisNani) December 13, 2024
