On 8 December, Chikkadpally police arrested M Sandeep (37), co-owner of Sandhya 70mm Theatre, M Nagaraju, Senior Manager of Sandhya 70mm Theatre, and G. Vijay Chander, Lower Balcony In-charge of the theatre.
Published Dec 08, 2024 | 10:08 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 08, 2024 | 10:08 PM
Chaos unfolded at Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre during the premiere of Pushpa 2 following actor Allu Arjun’s arrival.
In a significant development, the Hyderabad police has arrested three individuals for the death of a woman and injuries to her son at Sandhya 70mm theatre. The trio has been arrested for negligence and mismanagement, which led to the tragedy at Chikkadpally in Hyderabad during the premiere show of Pushpa 2 on 4 December, 2024.
Following the incident, a case was registered at Chikkadpally Police Station under Section 105, 118(1) read with 3(5) of the BNS Act.
On 8 December, Chikkadpally police arrested M Sandeep (37), co-owner of Sandhya 70mm Theatre, M Nagaraju, Senior Manager of Sandhya 70mm Theatre, and G Vijay Chander, Lower Balcony In-charge of the theatre.
All three accused were produced before the court and have been sent to judicial custody.
Lead star of Pushpa 2, Allu Arjun, was also named in the FIR of the incident. “This incident happened due to the lack of prior information. We will soon notify actor Allu Arjun to join the investigation after consultation with the legal team,” said ACP Chikkadpally, L Ramesh Kumar.
The incident occurred on the night of 4 December when a massive crowd gathered outside the Sandhya 70mm Theatre to watch the much-anticipated premiere of Pushpa 2. Adding to the frenzy, actor Allu Arjun’s visit to the venue sent the crowd into chaos. Despite prior knowledge of the actor’s arrival, the theatre management failed to make appropriate arrangements, including separate entry and exit points or additional security to handle the crowd.
Around 9:30 p.m., when Allu Arjun arrived at the theatre with his personal security team, the already massive crowd surged forward to catch a glimpse of the actor. The situation escalated as the actor’s security team reportedly began pushing people to control the situation. The chaos led to a stampede-like scenario, and a large number of people entered the lower balcony area.
In the melee, 35-year-old Revathi, a resident of Dilsukhnagar, and her 13-year-old son Sreethej were caught in the suffocating crowd. Police on duty intervened, pulling them out and performed CPR on the unconscious boy before rushing the mother-son duo to Durgabai Deshmukh Hospital. However, Revathi was declared ‘dead’ on arrival, and her son was shifted to a super-specialty hospital for further treatment.
Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Zone, Hyderabad, emphasized that the arrests were made to hold those accountable for negligence that led to the tragic incident. “Stringent action will be taken against those responsible for the loss of life and injuries,” the statement read.
Under the DCP Central Zone, Akshansh Yadav, and ACP Chikkadpally, L. Ramesh Kumar, special teams were formed to investigate the matter.
Telangana Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkata Reddy on Friday, 6 December, speaking to the media, announced that the government, henceforth, will not permit any benefit shows for films.
The minister was responding to the incident that occurred during the premiere show of Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2.
Speaking with the TV channel TV 9, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy expressed his condolences to Revathi’s family. Further criticising the film team for not taking proper precautions and permissions prior, he said, “It is very sad to see the family suffer like that, as a cinematography minister, I am appealing to the film’s producers and hero to support the family. The husband recently recovered from a liver transplant, and now his wife is no more and his son is in the hospital.”
The minister also criticised Allu Arjun for visiting the already crowded theatre, “There was no need of visiting the theatre at night, one life is lost, anything can be brought back, but if a life is lost, no one can do anything.”
Stating that from now on the government will not give permission for benefit shows, the minister appealed, “From now on”he suggested, “If the hero wants to visit a theatre, they can go with their own security and can also take the permission of the government for security.”
Komatireddy Venkat Reddy reiterated that there won’t be any benefit shows, and appropriate guidelines will be provided through the proper channel soon.
Benefit shows are generally permitted for high-budget films ahead of their release to boost the film’s collection.
(Edited by SF Desk)
