The Pushpa 2 theatre stampede incident has ignited widespread debate in Telangana, with prominent figures taking sides, and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and actor Allu Arjun have entered a war of words over the matter. Addressing the Telangana Assembly on Saturday, CM Reddy alleged that Allu Arjun visited the theatre despite police denying permission and remained on the premises even after a woman lost her life in the stampede, as a result of which the police had to “force the actor out.”
In response, Allu Arjun held a press conference refuting the allegations, calling them untrue and defamatory. The actor claimed that he followed all police instructions. “There is a lot of misinformation that I behaved in a particular way (irresponsibly). These allegations are wrong. It’s humiliating and a character assassination. There is a lot of misinformation going on, a lot of false allegations, especially character assassination. Had there not been permission, they would have told us to return and I am a law-abiding citizen. I would’ve followed that. Nothing of that sort of information was given to me. I was following as per their guidance.”
Pointing out that he spent over two decades building his career and reputation, the actor expressed disappointment at the accusations. Reacting to claims that he stayed at the theatre despite knowing about the woman’s death, he said, “I am not inhuman.”
In the Assembly, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy criticised Allu Arjun for allegedly holding a roadshow and waving to fans despite the overcrowding, a claim the actor denied. The CM noted that the theatre management had requested police security on December 2 for the event scheduled on December 4. However, the police reportedly rejected the request, citing challenges in managing the crowd, particularly due to the theatre’s limited entry and exit points. Allu Arjun, meanwhile, said, “It was not a roadshow. There was no procession. It was just a crowd a few meters away from the theatre.”
Watch Allu Arjun press conference here:
The CM further accused the actor of waving to the crowd from his car’s sunroof while entering the theatre and exiting, causing chaos, and alleged that his private security pushed fans aside, leading to a stampede-like situation. He also claimed that the theatre management initially did not allow a police officer to reach the actor and advise him to leave due to the tense situation. When the officer finally reached him, Allu Arjun allegedly refused to leave immediately and waved to the crowd again while exiting as well. “What type of person (the actor was)”, Reddy questioned.
Reddy also criticised the film fraternity for visiting Allu Arjun after his arrest but failing to show similar concern for the boy who suffered critical injuries during the stampede and is now hospitalised. The actor responded, saying he wanted to visit the boy but refrained after his legal team advised against it.
“I appeal to the top film personalities that they should not be inhuman. When he (Allu Arjun) was taken to the police station for a day, the high court also accepted lunch motion petition and gave him bail. Our people are saying release him at 12 in the night. Where is the provision (to release at midnight)?” he asked. The CM also said he is continuously monitoring the boy’s health condition.
It may be recalled that the tragic incident occurred on December 4 at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad, where a 35-year-old woman was killed and her eight-year-old son injured in a stampede-like situation that was caused after thousands of fans gathered on the premises to see Allu Arjun during the premiere of Pushpa 2: The Rule. The overcrowding led to a bottleneck and the subsequent tragedy.
Following the incident, Hyderabad police registered a case against Allu Arjun, his security team and the theatre management based on a complaint from the deceased woman’s family. The actor was arrested on December 13 but was granted four weeks of interim bail by the Telangana High Court the same day, leading to his release on December 14.
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