Telangana CM, Akbaruddin Owaisi Speak Against Allu Arjun in Assembly
A tragic stampede at Sandhya Theatre during the premiere of *Pushpa 2: The Rule* has sparked sharp criticism of actor Allu Arjun from Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and AIMIM leader Akbaruddin Owaisi. The incident, which occurred on December 2, led to the death of a 35-year-old woman, Revathi, and left her son, Sri Teja, critically injured and on ventilator support.
Addressing the Telangana Assembly, Akbaruddin Owaisi accused Allu Arjun of exploiting the chaotic scenes for publicity. Without naming the actor, Owaisi alleged that Arjun remained in the theatre despite senior police officials informing him of the stampede outside. “When told that two children were under the stampede and one person had died, he allegedly remarked, ‘Now the film will be a hit,’” Owaisi claimed.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy also criticised the actor’s actions, highlighting police warnings issued before the event. Reddy stated that Akbaruddin Owaisi had submitted a request to the Chikkadpally police on December 2 to make arrangements for the film’s release. However, the request was denied due to safety concerns. Despite this, Allu Arjun visited the theatre and conducted a roadshow, further exacerbating the crowd situation.
Meanwhile, whilte responding to the allegations, Allu Arjun attended a press conference in Hyderabad, and said: “It is an unfortunate incident and genuinely speaking nobody is at fault… I genuinely think that nobody should be blamed, and I am not here to blame anybody or to blame any department or the government. I am actually thankful to the government because they have been very supporting to the film industry. This is just to state that there is a lot of misinformation and false allegation, and it is just to clear that I’ve not said anything like that. Please don’t judge me… And I just want to say that three years of my life I have put into this film and it means everything to me, and I just went to see it in the theatre and I have been to this theatre 20-30 times, and there has been information that I’ve been very irresponsible while going to the theatre which is not true at all.”
The aftermath of the incident has been tumultuous. Allu Arjun, along with his security team and the theatre management, was arrested under charges of negligence leading to death. Legal cases have been filed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for the failure to ensure crowd safety.
Political reactions have been divided. While AIMIM and the Telangana CM criticised the actor’s actions, BRS leader KT Rama Rao termed the arrest as politically motivated, calling it “the pinnacle of insecurity of the rulers.” Many actors from Telugu film industry lined up to support Allu Arjun after the arrest and reached his home after he was released on bail.
The stampede has drawn attention to safety protocols at large public events and the responsibilities of organisers and celebrities. As investigations continue, calls for accountability remain strong amidst public outrage over the tragedy.
