CM Reddy accuses Allu Arjun of ignoring safety concerns after stampede at movie premiere

TELANGANA

Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Saturday accused Telugu actor Allu Arjun of attending the screening of Pushpa-2 on December 4 despite the police denying permission for the event. Reddy claimed that even after a woman died in a stampede during the event, Allu Arjun did not leave the cinema hall until the police were forced to intervene.

Reddy’s comments came after AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi raised the issue in the Telangana Assembly. Referring to videos circulating on social media, Reddy criticized the actor for holding a roadshow and waving to the crowd, which led to chaos and a stampede. The CM explained that the theatre management had requested police security on December 2, but the police had rejected the request due to crowd management concerns. Before and after entering the theatre, Allu Arjun was seen waving to the crowd from his car’s sunroof, causing thousands of fans to gather and push to get a glimpse of him. Reddy also pointed out the lack of empathy from film personalities who visited the actor’s residence after his arrest but failed to show concern for the young boy injured in the stampede.

The incident, which took place at the Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad, resulted in the death of a 35-year-old woman and injuries to her eight-year-old son. Following the incident, the police filed a case against Allu Arjun, his security team, and the theatre management. Allu Arjun was arrested on December 13 but granted interim bail on the same day.