Telangana CM, Akbaruddin Owaisi accuse Allu Arjun of exploiting Pushpa 2 stampede

Before entering the theatre and exiting, the actor stood through the sunroof of his car and waved to the crowds leading to thousands of fans jostling to get a glimpse of him, he said.

Hyderabad: All India Majlis e- Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) floor leader in the Telangana Assembly, Akbaruddin Owaisi on Saturday, December 21 accused actor Allu Arjun of cashing in on the stampede caused at the Sandhya Theater during the benefit show of the film Pushpa 2, The Rise.

Without mentioning the actor’s name, Owaisi alleged that the former continued watching the movie till the end while the stampede took place outside the theatre. “When senior police officials informed him about the chaos outside, two children are under stampede and one person is reportedly dead, the actor allegedly remarked, ‘Now the film will be a hit,'” Akbaruddin Owaisi said in the Assembly.

The deadly stampede took place on December 2 during the premiere of Pushpa 2 The Rise at Sandhya Theatre where fans of Allu Arjun rushed in thousands to have a glimpse of the actor who was watching the movie from the balcony. It resulted in the death of 35-year-old Revathi and severely injured her minor son Sri Teja. The child is currently on ventilator support at KIMS Hospital.

The Chandrayangutta MLA further alleged that Allu Arjun callously left the theatre while the stampede was underway. He questioned the actor’s consciousness and said that upon knowing of the tragedy, he did not take any steps to enquire about the victim or her family.

“The gentleman did not bother to enquire about the family. But stood there waving at the large crowd Aise insaan bhi hote hain is duniya mein (Such people also exist in this world),” Owaisi said.

CM Revanth’s remark on the Sandhya Theater stampede

Adding to Akbaruddin Owaisi’s comments, Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy accused Allu Arjun of negligence about the incident. “I agree with Akbaruddin Owaisi’sremark on the incident. I have been quiet since the investigation is currently underway,” CM Revanth said.

Providing more details, CM Revanth informed the House that Sandhya Theatre management had sought security from the Chikkadpally police. The request was rejected citing that the theatre is surrounded by ten other theatres and several restaurants, with just one exit and entry point and a heavy flow of continuous traffic. Hence, providing security for the event would be difficult.

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The police had explicitly asked Sandhya theatre management to not allow movie stars for the benefit show as it could lead to mayhem. “However, despite giving a written communication to the theatre management, the concerned actor arrived for the show and proceeded to do a road show by waving at his fans from the rooftop of his car,” CM Revanth said.

“The atmosphere turned into pandemonium with thousands of his (Allu Arjun) fans pushing and crushing each other to have a glimpse of the actor. The situation worsened after the actor’s bouncers pushed the public to make way for the actor to enter the theatre. I saw the videos where scores were hanging on the balcony, risking their lives, simply to see the actor,” the chief minister said.

“In this confusion, Revanthi’s family were separated. While her husband and their daughter were pushed out of the hall, Revathi and her son were unfortunately stuck inside the theatre,” he added.

Police found an unconscious Revathi and her son and tried to retrieve them immediately. “Despite being dead, the mother held her child’s hand firmly. It took a while for the police to release the child from his mother’s arms. He is now in a vegetative condition, battling for his life,” CM Revanth said.

It finally took the deputy commissioner of police (DCP) stern warning to the actor to leave or else they would be forced to arrest him that the concerned movie star left the venue.

“As the actor was leaving, he waved at his fans again. What is this inhumane behaviour?” CM Revanth asked the House.

CM Revanth questioned the priorities of the film industry, alleging that prominent figures were meeting Allu Arjun at his residence instead of addressing the victims’ plight. “Did his hand or leg break? Why is the industry standing with him instead of focusing on the victims?” he asked.