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Don’t blame cops for Allu Arjun’s arrest in stampede case: Pawan Kalyan
Pawan Kalyan said Allu Arjun, or someone from his team could have reached out to the family of the victim the day after her death
HYDERABAD: The unfortunate stampede during the premiere of the film Pushpa 2: The Rule in Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre that led to the death of a woman could have been avoided if sufficient precautions had been taken, Andhra Pradesh deputy chief minister Pawan Kalyan said on Monday.
The Jana Sena Party president suggested that popular actor Allu Arjun, who is also his nephew, or his team should have reached out to the family of the 35-year-old woman sooner than they did but refused to blame the actor for the incident or the Telangana police for the actor’s subsequent arrest.
“In cinema, it’s a team effort, and everyone should be a part of it. In this case, Allu Arjun has been made the sole culprit, which I believe is not right,” he said.
The deputy CM said the management of the theatre where the film was being screened should have taken adequate security measures when Allu Arjun went to watch the movie.
“The staff should have informed Allu Arjun about this matter beforehand. Once he sat down, they should have informed him and taken necessary action,” Pawan Kalyan said, adding that even if it had been communicated to Allu Arjun, it was possible that he might not have heard it amidst loud cheers from the crowd.
“In such incidents, I don’t blame the police because their priority is security. Even during my recent tour in Vizianagaram district, the police asked me to stay at the front,” he told reporters at his party office at Mangalagiri in Guntur district.
He added that Allu Arjun should have taken adequate steps. “Even Chiranjeevi (his elder brother) used to go to the theatre, but alone and in disguise. I have also been in such situations,” he said.
He said it was common for people to show their love and affection for film stars. “Film stars deserve praise and awards, which cannot be ignored. If the actor doesn’t reciprocate the crowds by greeting them, people may develop a different perception of him. Pride and arrogance become topics of discussion,” he said.
Pawan Kalyan also praised Telangana chief minister Revanth Reddy, who has taken a hard stance on the incident and described him as a great leader who rose from the grassroots and one who had adopted a positive approach towards the film industry.
“Revanth Reddy fully supported the film industry, particularly during the release of Pushpa 2. Allowing ticket price hikes has greatly encouraged the growth of the industry,” he said, rejecting suggestions that Reddy went on an overdrive against Allu Arjun.
“It is wrong to say that Revanth Reddy got Allu Arjun arrested just because the latter had forgotten to mention his name at an event… Even if was Revanth Reddy in that position, he would have been arrested like Allu Arjun,” he said.
Reddy had defended Arjun’s arrest and accused him of attending the screening despite the police denying permission — a charge rejected by the actor, who had called the incident “purely an accident.”
Pawan Kalyan said Allu Arjun should have reached out to the family of the victim sooner than he did. “The death of the woman was really shocking. We should have conveyed earlier that we are all here to support the family. There should have been a sense of regret for the mistake, even if it happened without their direct involvement. There is a clear lack of humanity in this matter,” he said.
If not Allu Arjun, someone else could have visited the house of the victim the very next day to offer reassurance and condolence. “The people’s anger stems from the absence of such a gesture. Arjun, too, feels the pain of knowing that someone lost their life because of this incident,” he said.
Allu Arjun was arrested on December 13, eight days after a case was filed against him and 10 others, on charges that included culpable homicide, which carries a maximum punishment of 10-year imprisonment. Though a local court in Hyderabad sent him to 14 days in judicial custody, he was granted interim bail for four weeks by the Telangana high court that evening. The interim bail ends on January 10.
At a press conference on Saturday, Arjun rejected the allegations against him, calling them part of a smear campaign. “There is a lot of miscommunication, misinformation and wrong allegations. I am feeling extremely humiliated by the character assassination. I have been here [in the industry] for 20 years, and I have earned this respect and credibility. It has been sabotaged in one day,” he said.
