Entertainment Desk

Hyderabad Police have arrested Telugu star Allu Arjun in connection with the death of a woman in a stampede at a Pushpa 2: The Rule screening.

The incident occurred on 4 December when a stampede-like situation happened at the premiere show of his latest film, Pushpa 2: The Rule, at a theatre in Hyderabad.

A 35-year-old woman died in the incident, and her nine-year-old son was hospitalised due to asphyxiation.

A team of police officials from Chikkadpally police station in Hyderabad came to Allu Arjun’s residence in Jubilee Hills and took him into custody. He was shifted to the police station, where he would be questioned, the police said.

The incident occurred on the night of 4 December when a large crowd of fans thronged the Sandhya Theatre at the busy RTC Crossroads to glimpse the actor.

The deceased has been identified as Revathi, the police said. She was accompanied by her son Sri Teja, who also suffered suffocation and is being treated in a hospital where he is recovering.

The police said a case was registered against the actor, his security team, and the theatre management at the Chikkadpally police station under sections 105 and 118(1) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) based on the complaint by the deceased’s family.

In a freak coincidence, a second fan died at a Pushpa 2 screening on Monday.

Kalyandurgam Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ravi Babu told PTI that 35-year-old Harijana Madhannappa was found dead around 6pm on Monday by the theatre’s cleaning staff. He attended the film’s matinee show around 2:30pm in Rayadurgam in an intoxicated state, and the police are still probing the reason for his death.

Allu Arjun's response to the tragedy

On Wednesday, Arjun filed a plea in the High Court to quash the FIR and requested a stay on all further proceedings, including arrest, pending the disposal of the petition.

The High Court is expected to hear the matter in the coming days. The actor had earlier announced financial assistance of ₹25 lakh to the family of the deceased woman.

Source: Hindustan Times