A large crowd gathered at Sandhya Theatre in Chikkadapally for the Pushpa 2 premiere, hoping to see lead actor Allu Arjun. However, the theatre management and actor's team gave no prior notice of his visit, claim police.
Published Dec 05, 2024 | 8:25 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 05, 2024 | 9:30 PM
Chaos unfolded at Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre during the premiere of Pushpa 2 following actor Allu Arjun’s arrival.
A case has been registered against actor Allu Arjun, his security team, and the management of Sandhya 70mm Theatre following a tragic incident during the premiere of Pushpa 2 on the night of 4 December.
The case, which includes charges under Section 105, 118(1) r/w 3(5) BNS Act, was filed after a chaotic scene at the theatre resulted in the death of a woman and the injury of her son.
The incident occurred around 9:40 PM when a large crowd had gathered at Sandhya Theatre in Chikkadapally, eagerly awaiting the premiere of the much-anticipated film. Many spectators were also hoping to catch a glimpse of the film’s lead actors, including Allu Arjun.
However, there was no prior announcement from the theatre management or the actor’s team regarding his visit, leaving the crowd unaware of the actor’s arrival.
Furthermore, the management failed to make adequate security arrangements or provide separate entry and exit points for the actor’s team, despite being informed of his visit.
The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central Zone, Hyderabad, said that around 9:30 PM, Allu Arjun arrived at the theatre with his personal security team, triggering a surge of fans trying to enter the venue with him.
The situation escalated when Arjun’s security team began pushing the crowd, exacerbating the already tense atmosphere. Amid the chaos, many people, including actor fans and bystanders, rushed into the lower balcony area.
In the resulting rush, Revathi, a 35-year-old woman from Dilshuknagar, and her 13-year-old son Sri Tej became trapped. “They were quickly pulled out by police officers present at the scene,” a press release from Hyderabad police said.
While police officers administered CPR to the boy, Revathi was rushed to Durgabai Deshmukh Hospital, where she was later declared dead. Her son, Sri Tej, was advised to be transferred to another hospital for further treatment.
Following the incident, the family members of the deceased filed a complaint, prompting police to initiate a full investigation. The authorities are taking stringent action against those responsible for the mishandling of the crowd, which led to the tragic outcome.
“We have to identify his security team, who were involved in pushing the people. We have our deployment on the anticipation, and there was not any fault from police side,” the DCP said.
The case is currently under investigation, and further action will be taken in accordance with the law.
(Edited by Ananya Rao with inputs from Sumit Jha)
