The December 4 premiere of the pan-Indian project ‘Pushpa 2’ turned fatal for a fan in Hyderabad. A 35-year-old woman, Revathi, died in a stampede incident while her eight-year-old son Sritej required hospitalisation. Now, the Chikkadpally police arrested three management members of Sandhya Theatre in connection to the incident. Following this, on December 5 an FIR was registered against as per the complaint by the deceased’s family. The case was against Allu Arjun, his security team, and the theatre management under Sections 105 and 118 (1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Following investigations, the police took M Sandeep the owner of Sandhya Theatre, M Nagaraju, the manager and Gandhakam Vijay Chander, the security manager, into custody. Moreover, they booked a case under section 105,118(1) read with 3(5) of BNS.
Namaste DELHI.#Pushpa2TheRule pic.twitter.com/RbtoWqhwgk
— Allu Arjun (@alluarjun) December 12, 2024
For the unversed, Allu Arjun attended the premiere with co-star Rashmika Mandanna and his wife, Allu Sneha Reddy. The police told PTI that neither the theatre management nor the actors informed them about the visiting plans. Moreover, despite being aware of his arrival, the theatre management didn’t make any additional security provisions to manage the crowd. Additionally, they did not arrange separate entry or exit points for the actor’s team.
Now, Allu Arjun has moved the Telangana HC to quash the FIR against him and request a halt on further proceedings pertaining to the case. In the petition, which is yet to be heard, he stated that the allegations made against him had no factual basis and were aimed at misusing the judicial system. Notably, the FIR lacked specific allegations against the actor. The petitioner added that the mere presence of the actor resulting in overcrowding at the screening of the film cannot attract criminal liability by any means. Additionally, the petition stated that the charges made by the complainant prima facie did not show any specific evidence against Allu. The actor also requested the court to halt all proceedings connected to the FIR 376/2024 till adjudication of his petition.
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Meanwhile, following the incident, Allu Arjun offered 25 lakhs compensation to the family. He also assured them that he would pay the child’s medical bills. At a press event in Hyderabad, he apologised to the family. The actor said, “The money I’ve given is only a gesture to show we’re there for them. I don’t want to disturb them; I’m giving them their space. I will never be able to help with their loss, but I will meet them once they recover. I’ll help them in whatever way I can.”