- Tuesday, January 21, 2025
The high court pronounced the order granting bail to Pushpa 2 star while he was being taken to the jail. He was earlier remanded to judicial custody by a local court
By: Shajil Kumar
THE TELANGANA High Court on Friday granted a four-week interim bail to actor Allu Arjun, who was arrested earlier in the day by Hyderabad police in connection with the death of a woman during the screening of his latest movie “Pushpa 2: The Rule” here last week.
The HC order came shortly after the actor was remanded to judicial custody for 14 days by a local court.
He was sent to the jail at Chanchalguda here following the remand, amid tight security arrangements.
The HC pronounced the order granting bail to Arjun while he was being taken to the jail.
The court directed the actor to cooperate with the authorities in the investigation, while granting him interim bail.
A 35-year-old woman died due to asphyxiation, and her eight-year-old son was hospitalised after a large crowd gathered at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad on the night of December 4 to catch a glimpse of the actor.
On December 5, the city police registered a case against Allu Arjun, his security team, and the theatre management under Sections 105 and 118 (1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at Chikkadpally police station, based on a complaint lodged by the deceased woman’s family.
During the investigation, police arrested three individuals: One of the theatre’s owners, its senior manager, and the lower balcony in charge.
Arjun had announced financial assistance of ₹2.5 million (£23,342.49) to the family of the deceased woman.
‘Arjun not at fault’
The husband of a woman who died when fans jostled during the December 4 premiere show of ‘Pushpa 2’ at a film theatre here, said on Friday he doesn’t hold the film’s male lead Allu Arjun “responsible for the tragedy”.
Bhaskar, the woman’s husband, stated he was “ready to withdraw” his case over the incident.
“Allu Arjun is not at fault for coming to the theatre. I am ready to withdraw my case,” he told reporters.
Bhaskar added that he was not informed by the police about Arjun’s arrest and learned about it only from the news.
His eight-year-old son, who suffered serious injuries in the incident, has been undergoing treatment at a private super-speciality hospital here.
BRS leader flays arrest
BRS working president K T Rama Rao on Friday criticised Allu Arjun’s arrest, calling it “unwarranted and inappropriate” to treat the actor as a “common criminal”.
Taking a dig at the Congress government, Rao called the arrest of National Award-winning actor, a peak display of the rulers’ insecurity.
“I totally sympathise with the victims of the stampede but who failed really? Treating Allu Arjun garu as a common criminal is uncalled for, especially for something he isn’t directly responsible,” Rao said on social media platform ‘X’.
Rao emphasised the need for “respect” and “dignified conduct”, while condemning the government’s alleged high-handed behaviour.
Rashmika backs Arjun
Arjun’s “Pushpa 2: The Rule” co-star Rashmika Mandanna on Friday defended the Telugu superstar after he was arrested, saying an individual should not be singled out for the unfortunate incident.
“I can’t believe what I am seeing right now.. The incident that happened was an unfortunate and deeply saddening incident,” Mandanna, who plays the role Srivalli in “Pushpa 2”, said in a post on X.
“However, it is disheartening to see everything being blamed on a single individual. This situation is both unbelievable and heartbreaking,” she added.
Nani supports Arjun
Telugu actor Nani on Friday came out in support of his contemporary Allu Arjun after he came to know of his arrest.
In a post on social media platform X, Nani said, “I wish the kind of enthusiasm government authorities and media show in anything related to people from cinema was also there for the regular citizens. We would have lived in a better society.”
Referring to the December 4 incident, the actor said it was “unfortunate” and “heart breaking”.
“We should all learn from the disaster and be lot more careful here after and introduce measures to make sure this doesn’t happen again. We are all at fault here. One person is not responsible for this,” he said. (PTI)
