Pushpa 2: The Rule star Allu Arjun emerged from the Chanchalguda prison in Hyderabad on Saturday morning, marking the end of a tumultuous 24-hour ordeal. The previous day, the Telangana High Court had granted him interim bail for a period of four weeks, in connection with the tragic stampede that occurred at the premiere of his film, Pushpa 2, earlier this month. The stampede had resulted in the death of a 39-year-old woman, M Revathi, and left her nine-year-old son critically injured.
Upon his release from jail on Saturday morning, Allu Arjun briefly addressed the media before returning to his Hyderabad home, where his family awaited his arrival. He said, according to news agency PTI, “I would like to first thank everybody for their immense love and support. I thank my fans. I am well, there is nothing to worry. I am a law abiding citizen, I respect the law, I will cooperate with them, and do the needful. I would like to give my condolences to the family, it is very unfortunate, we went to watch a movie, and due to an unfortunate incident, we lost a person. It was totally out of my personal control. I have been going to watch my films for the last 20 years, I have been there for 30 times. I will be there to support the family in whatever possible way. I know we can never cover the loss, but I will be doing what I can. I thank everyone for the support.”
VIDEO | “I would like to first thank everybody for their immense love and support. I thank my fans. I am well, there is nothing to worry. I am a law abiding citizen, I respect the law, I will cooperate with them, and do the needful. I would like to give my condolences to the… pic.twitter.com/SQjJAdeVGm
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 14, 2024
Arjun’s arrest on Friday morning had sparked a dramatic turn of events, with the interim bail order coming just as the police were taking him to the Chanchalguda prison. A lower court had earlier remanded him to 14-day judicial custody.
The police have filed a case against Arjun, his security team, and the management of Sandhya Theatre, where the stampede occurred, under sections 105 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 118(1) r/w 3(5) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt) of the Indian Penal Code.
In a press statement, the police said that Arjun’s actions had led to the unfortunate incident: “He came to the theatre, came out from the sunroof of his vehicle and started waving to the public gathered there. This gesture attracted a lot of the public towards the theatre’s main gate. At the same time, his private security started pushing people to make way for his vehicle. His team was intimated to take him back citing a large public gathering, but they didn’t act on it, and Allu Arjun was there inside the theatre for more than two hours.”
The statement further read, “It is clear that adequate police bandobast was in place, (and) it was his actions which led to this unfortunate incident, in which a woman died, and her son is still unconscious on a ventilator even after nine days of the incident.”
In a poignant reunion, Allu Arjun was finally united with his family on Saturday morning. Videos of the emotional reunion have been circulating on social media, showing Arjun embracing his wife and children upon his return home. The arrest had sparked widespread outrage, with several members of the film fraternity, including Telugu star Nani and Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan, extending their support to Arjun. As the controversy continues to unfold, the outcome remains uncertain.
Why should you buy our Subscription?
You want to be the smartest in the room.
You want access to our award-winning journalism.
You don’t want to be misled and misinformed.
Choose your subscription package
