Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said he was pained to know that none of the stars who queued up at Allu Arjun's residence after the latter's release from prison bothered to visit the hospital where the boy, injured in the theatre stampede, is still in a critical condition.
Published Dec 21, 2024 | 6:07 PM ⚊ Updated Dec 21, 2024 | 7:58 PM
Revanth Reddy and Allu Arjun.
Coming down heavily on the celebrities who “queued up” to meet Allu Arjun after he was freed on bail in the Sandhya 70mm theatre stampede case, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said all are equal before the law.
Speaking in the state Assembly on Saturday, 21 December, the chief minister said he was pained by stars from the Telugu filmdom queueing up to meet Arjun, even as a nine-year-old boy was battling for his life in a hospital. Revanth Reddy said none of the stars visited the hospital, even though they met the Pushpa 2: The Rule hero at his residence, as if the latter had survived a calamity.
The actor had spent a few hours at the police station and in jail. After he was granted bail, jail authorities were under pressure to release him in the middle of the night, he said. The law did not allow the release of a prisoner after sunset.
“The government goes by the rules and the law. We can not relax the rules for celebrities. I cannot do it even for my family,” the chief minister asserted.
Revanth Reddy also warned Tollywood personalities that his government would not spare them if they thought themselves above the law and acted as they wished.
The chief minister was responding to AIMIM member Akbaruddin Owaisi’s question on the series of incidents that led to the death of a woman, Revathy, at the Sandhya Theatre on 4 December. Revanth Reddy said actor Arjun remained insensitive even after the police informed him of the woman’s death and the grievous injury her son had suffered.
While responding to Owaisi, the chief minister said neither benefit shows nor incentives would be allowed in the future. He added that though the government wanted the film industry to thrive, it would not allow the stars to think they could do anything and get away with it.
“Just because a film actor is a superstar, can he do whatever he wants and get away with it? The Congress government in the state would not leave such people if they thought they enjoyed a special status and the ordinary law would not apply to them,” Revanth Reddy told the Assembly.
Recalling the series of incidents that preceded the fatal stampede, the chief minister said that on 2 December, the theatre management had sought police security at the movie hall, saying actor (Allu Arjun), heroine (Rashmika Mandanna) and the members of the production unit of Pushpa 2: The Rule would be visiting the theatre for the benefit show on 4 December.
On 3 December, the inspector of Chikkadpalli police informed the theatre management that the police could not control the crowd if the actor visited the theatre because the twin theatres had only one entrance and that it was located amid restaurants in an area where the vehicular traffic was always heavy.
Though the police asked the theatre management to advise the actor against visiting the theatre, he arrived at around 9 pm along with the female lead of the film. The theatre was already crowded and when the actor emerged through the sunroof of his vehicle, his fans went berserk.
As Arjun’s car entered the theatre premises, his security personnel began pushing away the crowd that surged forward to get a better glimpse of the actor. It led to a wave of stampede in which Revathi and her son were caught. They could not move to safety and they fell while others trampled over them.
The police saw their predicament and shifted them to a hospital where Revathi was declared “dead on arrival”. The boy was in a critical condition.
The chief minister said that it was heart-wrenching to see Revathi holding her son’s hand tight even after her death.
Later, the Assistant Commissioner of Police and other officers tried to persuade the actor to leave but the theatre staff prevented them saying that no one was allowed to see the actor.
On being informed, the Deputy Commissioner arrived at the scene, and after warning the management of initiating action, forced his way into the balcony where the actor was watching the film. He told Arjun that the crowd outside was becoming unmanageable and that already one woman had died.
The actor was not moved and chose to stay, forcing the DCP to warn him that he would be arrested if he did not oblige the police immediately. It was only then that the actor and others went out. However, while leaving the theatre around midnight, Arjun again kept waving at the people through the sunroof.
He did not bother to inquire about the family, nor did he visit the brain-damaged boy, the chief minister said.
Revanth Reddy said the police registered a case since the incident had led to a death and injury to the boy. The bereaved family was from a middle-class background. The head of the family has been earning just ₹30,000 a month and yet he spent ₹12,000 to buy tickets for his wife, son, and daughter since the boy was a diehard Arjun fan.
The chief minister wondered whether it was wrong to arrest the actor and the theatre management, who were responsible for the stampede.
Revanth Reddy said that political parties which were supposed to respond to the loss of an innocent life, chose to side with the actor.
The social media activists of the opposition party (implying BRS) had posted content abusing him and calling him names for arresting the actor.
“The film industry is free to make films. The government is ready to give them incentives. Let them use them and benefit from them. But if they try to break the law, the government will not leave them,” Revanth Reddy said.
Meanwhile, Cinematography Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy announced that the Prateek Foundation would provide ₹25 lakh to help Revathy’s family. The Foundation was started in memory of the minister’s son, who died in a road accident.
Venkat Reddy also said there would be no benefit shows in the future and actors would not be allowed to visit theatres.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
