Stampede death: Law will take its course, Revanth tells Telugu film industry

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has made it clear that his government won’t compromise on law and order following the death of a woman in a stampede blamed on actor Allu Arjun and his bouncers.

Reddy conveyed the message at a meeting of Telugu movie actors, directors, and producers on Thursday (December 26) amid strained ties with the industry after the arrest of Allu Arjun.

The chief minister also said crowd control at events that actors attended was as much a responsibility of celebrities as it was of the police. While in public, actors must work with the police to keep peace, he said.

Also read: Allu Arjun stampede case: Telangana govt, Telugu film representatives to meet today

Ban on special shows

A young woman died in a stampede and her son was seriously injured in a stampede that erupted when Arjun appeared at Sandhya theatre in Hyderabad on December 4 during the screening of his Pushpa 2 movie.

Reddy also banned, for now, benefit shows or special screenings of movies and warned private security personnel, such as those employed by high-profile actors like Arjun, to behave.

Police have said that bouncers working for the actor acted recklessly during the stampede and that their aggression aggravated the incident.

Also read: Allu Arjun grilled for over 3 hours in stampede death case; here's what cops asked him

Compensation to distraught family

The meeting was attended by, among others, Allu Arjun's film producer father Allu Aravind as well as Dil Raju, who heads the Film Development Corp in Andhra Pradesh.

On Wednesday, Allu Arvind announced that Rs 2 crore would be given to the woman's husband as compensation for his wife's death and for the future of his son.

The police say the stampede was triggered by Arjun making an unannounced appearance at the theatre.

What happened at theatre

As news of his arrival spread, a mob of adoring fans jostled, pushed and shoved one another to get near the star, causing the stampede.

The police say Arjun waved to fans from the sunroof of his car. He then spent 15-20 minutes outside the theatre, during which time the crowd swelled, before disappearing inside.

The actor, however, claims he had informed the police of his visit to the theatre and said he cannot be blamed for the stampede.

Also read: Will Allu Arjun row force Telugu movie industry to shift base to Andhra?

Arjun’s arrest and bail

Arjun was arrested on December 13, nine days after the stampede, and sent to judicial custody for 14 days. But a few hours later, the Telangana High Court granted him bail.

This week he was questioned by the police for nearly three hours.