Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court granted interim bail to actor Allu Arjun on Friday evening, soon after a local court sent him to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with the stampede at Sandhya Theatre on 4 December night.
The stampede after Arjun appeared at the theatre for the premiere show of his movie, Pushpa-2, took the life of a 38-year-old woman, M. Revathi, while her 10-year-old son continues to be critical.
Arjun’s arrest triggered a political row in the state as the Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) condemned “the arrest of a national award winner”, especially the manner.
BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao took to X, saying, “Arrest of National Award winning star Allu Arjun is the pinnacle of insecurity of the rulers! I totally sympathize with the victims of the stampede but who failed really? Treating @alluarjun garu as a common criminal is uncalled for especially for something he isn’t directly responsible for.”
The former minister added, “Going by the same perverse logic, Revanth Reddy should be arrested for causing the death of two innocent people who died in Hyderabad because of the fear psychosis caused by Hydra.” He was referring to the demolition drive under the Congress government to save Hyderabad’s gradually shrinking water bodies from encroachments.
Another key BRS leader Harish Rao, while condemning the arrest, questioned the Congress government’s grant of permission for premiere/benefit shows. “The real culprits for this are the state rulers. Action should be on the Congress government,” the former finance minister posted on X.
Speaking to reporters in New Delhi, Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy said, “Law will take its course in Arjun’s case too… Everyone is equal before the law.” The CM added that he had no role to play in the events or the case.
On the law taking its course, Harish Rao, however, said, “If Sai Reddy, the former sarpanch of the CM’s home village Kondareddypalli, committed suicide by writing a suicide note saying that he was dying due to harassment by the Revanth Reddy Brothers, why aren’t the Revanth Brothers arrested?… The law should respond not only in Allu Arjun case but also to Enumula Revanth Reddy and Brothers.”
Joining the chorus, Telangana BJP leader and union MoS Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay posted on X: “National Award-winning actor Allu Arjun, lifted straight from his bedroom without even being given time to change, is a disgraceful act of mismanagement and disrespect. A star of his stature, who brought global recognition to Indian cinema, deserved better treatment.”
The Karimnagar MP faulted the state government for its inability to ensure proper arrangements for a high-profile event. “The tragic death of a woman in the stampede at Sandhya theatre is deeply unfortunate, but it only underscores the Congress government’s failure to manage the massive crowd,” he wrote.
On similar lines, Goshamahal’s BJP MLA Raja Singh posted on X, “Allu Arjun deserves respect for his contributions, not treatment befitting a criminal.”
However, the deputy commissioner of police in central zone, Hyderabad city, told ANI Friday, “The crowd was well in control till the actor arrived. He (Arjun) came to the theatre, came out from the sun roof of his vehicle and started waving to the public gathered there. This gesture attracted a lot of public towards the theatre main gate… it is clear that adequate police bandobust was in place, it was his actions which led to this unfortunate incident.”
Arjun is not to be blamed, says victim’s husband
According to local reports, Revathi’s husband Bhaskar said he is ready to withdraw any case against Arjun as the stampede is not the actor’s fault.
In a video message from the hospital where his son is undergoing treatment, he said, “The actor should be released; he is not to be blamed. I took my family to watch the movie at my son’s request. The police have not informed me about Arjun’s arrest.”
The police, who claim Arjun’s unapproved appearance triggered a frenzy among his fans at the premiere, causing the stampede in which the deceased woman’s family was caught, earlier booked Arjun under BNS sections 105 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 118 (1) (causing hurt). The theatre owner and manager were arrested.
After the FIR, Arjun approached the Telangana High Court to quash the case against him. Expressing regret over the tragic loss of life, the actor, at the time, also announced a Rs 25 lakh compensation for the victim’s family and promised more assistance in the future.
In support of Arjun, Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) chief and former CM Jagan Mohan Reddy Friday wrote on X, “He expressed sorrow over the tragedy and acted responsibly, saying that he would stand by the family. Is it fair to hold him as directly responsible for the incident? Even though he was not involved in the stampede, framing criminal cases against Arjun and arresting him is unacceptable.”
Arjun’s arrest comes amid the massive success of Pushpa-2, which has amassed over Rs 1,000 crore in a record six days.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)