Indian superstar Allu Arjun has found himself embroiled in controversy following a tragic incident during the premiere of his film Pushpa 2: The Rule on December 4 at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad.
The tragic stampede, which occurred when Arjun made an unannounced appearance at the venue, led to the death of 39-year-old Revathi and critically injured her young son.
In the wake of the incident, Arjun was arrested on December 13 by a task force team from the Hyderabad police.
Videos from the scene show Arjun finishing his coffee and calmly speaking with his family before being escorted into a police vehicle.
Just hours after his arrest, he was granted interim bail by the Telangana High Court, which ruled that it would be for a limited period.
The stampede was caused when Arjun’s sudden arrival triggered an overwhelming rush of fans, and inadequate crowd management resulted in chaos.
Police responded quickly, rushing Revathi and her son to the hospital, but the mother was declared dead on arrival.
The tragedy led to charges of culpable homicide not amounting to murder against Arjun, his security team, and the theatre management, who are accused of negligence in managing the crowd.
Despite the serious charges, Arjun expressed deep sorrow for the loss, offering financial support of Dh110,000 to the grieving family.
“It’s a very unfortunate incident, and my heart goes out to the family affected,” Arjun said publicly. His condolences were also accompanied by a vow to cooperate fully with the investigation.
The incident sparked a wave of support from Arjun’s colleagues in the industry. His co-star, Rashmika Mandanna, spoke out on social media, expressing her dismay at how one individual was being blamed for the incident.
“It is disheartening to see everything being blamed on a single individual,” she wrote. Bollywood actor Varun Dhawan echoed these sentiments, stressing that safety protocols at such events should not fall solely on the actor’s shoulders.
“The actor cannot take sole responsibility for safety,” he stated during an event in Jaipur.
However, local police officials noted that neither Arjun nor the theatre had given prior notice of his appearance, leaving authorities unprepared to manage the crowd.
This led to the detention of three theatre staff members who failed to implement necessary safety measures.
In response to the tragedy, the production company, Mythri Movie Makers, issued a statement expressing their condolences and offering support to the affected family.
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