Though his fans and supporters had been decrying his arrest, saying that the actor had nothing to do with the death of the woman, the actor had chosen not to make any comments on his arrest
Published Dec 14, 2024 | 12:53 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 14, 2024 | 12:53 PM
Allu Arjun at Chikadpally police station. (Screengrab)
After spending a night at Chanchalguda prison in Hyderabad, actor Allu Arjun reached home on Saturday morning, 14 December, to a poignant reunion with his family members.
As he walked into his posh Jubilee Hills residence, his son Aryan came running and hugged him for a long time. Then his wife Sneha Reddy, who appeared very agitated at the time of his arrest on Friday, embraced him, in what appeared to be a moment of great relief to her.
As the other members of his family and well-wishers shook hands with him and hugged him, the actor appeared to have experienced a wave of relief passing through him.
As soon as dawn broke, Allu Arjun was escorted out of the prison from its rear entrance amidst tight police security, as the police did not want a repeat of any stampede anywhere.
Arjun first set out to the Geetha Arts office in Jubilee Hills with police vehicles in tow. After being inside for about 45 minutes, discussing his case with advocate Niranjan Reddy, he came out and left for home.
The police, aware that the actor’s fans were very restive over his arrest, barricaded the road that led to his residence in Jubilee Hills. As he entered his house, the gates were closed with media persons milling at the other side with, word going around that he might speak to them.
The actor, after being with his family members and well-wishers, returned to the gate and spoke to media persons. He thanked everyone who supported him after the incident at Sandhya Theatre at RTC Cross Roads in Hyderabad on 4 December when a woman, Revathi died in a stampede.
The actor expressed his regret over the stampede and said his thoughts were always with the Revathi’s bereaved family members and said it was an unfortunate incident that should not have taken place. He said he had been visiting the theatre for the last 20 years to watch his films and those of his uncle, Chiranjeevi. “I regret what has happened. I convey my condolences to the family once again,” he said.
The actor deflected questions on how he felt about the arrest, particularly in the wake of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy’s comments wondering whether Arjun had fought any war against Pakistan to deserve a better treatment. He said: “I have a lot of respect for the law. I will cooperate with the agencies in the investigation of the case.”
Though his fans and supporters had been decrying his arrest, saying that the actor had nothing to do with the death of the woman, the actor had chosen not to make any comments on his arrest. He said he was quite fine and that no one needed to worry about him.
Though the High Court gave him interim bail on Friday itself, the jail authorities did not get the order copy till 10.30 p.m. It was the actor’s advocates who had handed over the hard copy of the order after it was uploaded.
High Court Judge Juvvadi Sridevi, while granting interim bail, asked him to furnish a personal bond for Rs. 50,000 and refrain from influencing the witnesses in the case. He was advised to file a petition in the trial court for regular bail and adjourned the case to 21 December.
(Edited by Ananya Rao)
