A massive protest took place outside the house of Telugu actor Allu Arjun over the stampede earlier this month that claimed a life. A group of people, claiming to students of the Osmania University, barged into his house, threw tomatoes and broke flower pots. The protesters raised slogans against the actor and sought justice for the woman who died, till they were removed by the police.
The stampede at Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre during the premiere of Pushpa 2, which took place on December 4, has claimed the life of a woman. Her eight-year-old son is still in coma and is admitted at a city hospital.
Hyderabad city police chief CV Anand made a video presentation of the sequence of events leading to the stampede and its aftermath.
A senior police officer said ever after the stampede, the actor did not leave. The police then approached his manager and told him about the death of the woman. But the manager did not heed their request. When they reached the actor and explained the situation, he insisted on watching the movie first, the officer added.
Yesterday, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had told the assembly that Allu Arjun had attended the premiere of his movie ‘Pushpa 2’ despite refusal of police permission. He had even waved from his car’s sun-roof on his way in and out, holding a roadshow of sorts and triggering a stampede-like situation. Even after the death of the woman, the actor did not leave the cinema hall, prompting the police to force him out, the Chief Minister had said.
Earlier today, a video surfaced showing the police escorting out the actor from the movie hall, appearing to support the Chief Minister’s remarks.