Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Police have clarified their role in the tragic incident during the release of Allu Arjun’s film Pushpa-2. A stampede outside Sandhya 70 MM theatre on December 4 led to the death of a woman and left her son critically injured.
In a press release, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Central Zone, stated that Sandhya Cine Enterprise had requested bandobast for December 4 and 5 but did not meet any officer or share proper details about the event.
“Even though the organizers did not provide complete information, we arranged crowd control outside the theatre. Everything was under control until the actor arrived,” said the DCP.
The police accused Allu Arjun of actions that caused the situation to spiral.
“He waved to the crowd from the sunroof of his car, which drew more people toward the theatre gate. At the same time, his private security began pushing the crowd, leading to chaos. Despite being warned about the crowd, he stayed at the theatre for over two hours,” the police said.
The police rejected claims of mismanagement and said they had provided adequate security for the event.
Responding to allegations of mistreating the actor during his arrest, the police clarified: “When we went to his residence, he asked for time to change clothes. We waited outside his room, and he voluntarily came out and got into the police vehicle. There was no misbehavior or use of force.”
The tragic incident has raised concerns about crowd management at celebrity events. The injured boy remains on a ventilator as the investigation continues.