E-Paper
Allu Arjun granted bail in Pushpa 2 stampede case
A 35-year-old woman died during the stampede at the Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad on December 4 where ‘Pushpa 2’ was being screened.
'Pushpa 2' actor Allu Arjun was on Friday granted bail in a case linked to the Sandhya Theatre stampede case by Hyderabad's Nampally court. The incident happened on December 4, when Allu Arjun attended the premiere of Pushpa 2: The Rule at Sandhya Theatre, a massive crowd gathered to catch a glimpse of the actor, and chaos ensued when he waved to fans from the sunroof of his car. This led to the tragic death of a woman named Revathi and injuries to her child.
The II Additional Metropolitan Sessions Judge has set bail conditions for the actor. To secure his release, the actor must provide two sureties, each executing a bond of ₹50,000, in addition to his own bond of the same amount.
As part of his bail conditions, Allu Arjun must appear before the investigating officer every Sunday between 10 am and 1 pm for two months, or until the charge sheet is filed, whichever comes first. He is also prohibited from interfering with the investigation or witnesses in any way, and must cooperate fully with the investigation.
The court has also imposed strict restrictions on the actor's movements, directing him not to change his residential address without prior notice to the court, and not to leave the country without permission.
Sandhya Theatre stampede case
A 35-year-old woman died during the stampede at the Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad on December 4 where the Allu Arjun-starrer 'Pushpa 2' movie was screened and her eight-year-old son was hospitalised.
Following the incident, a case was registered against Allu Arjun, his security team, and the theatre management under different sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Chikkadpally police station based on a complaint by the deceased woman's family.
Allu Arjun was arrested by the city police in connection with the death of the woman on December 13.
The Telangana High Court granted him a four-week interim bail on the same day and he was released from a prison in Hyderabad on December 14.
According to the proceedings, the complainant has drawn attention of the commission towards death of a woman allegedly "due to lathi charge" by the police of Chikkadpally who accompanied Allu Arjun during a promotional show of 'Pushpa 2'. The stampede that happened there resulted in "serious injuries" to the woman and her two children, the complainant said.
"He has further alleged that lathi charge resorted to by police officials and lack of necessary arrangements, when film star Allu Arjun entered the theatre, resulted in the death" of the woman and injuries to her children, it said.
