Following the death of a 39-year-old woman in a stampede at the premiere of the film Pushpa 2 in Hyderabad, police have filed a case against the Sandhya Theatre management, actor Allu Arjun, and his security team Indian Express reported.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP) of Central Zone, Hyderabad Police, Akshansh Yadav said, “A case has been filed under BNS section 105 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 118(1) r/w 3(5) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt) at Chikkadpally police station based on the complaint of the family members of the deceased person. It is being investigated. Stringent action as per law will be taken against all the persons responsible for the chaotic situation inside the theatre leading to the death of a person and injury to others,” the DCP said.
While M Revathi died in the incident, her nine-year-old son is critical.
In a statement, the DCP said that the theatre failed to inform police that the lead actor and other cast members were going to come there.
Station House Officer (SHO) of Chikkadpally police station, B Raju Naik, said that a huge crowd had gathered outside the theatre to watch the movie as well as in anticipation of getting a glimpse of the film’s lead actors.
“However, there was no intimation to police from the side of theatre management or the actors’ team about what time they would visit. The theatre management did not make any additional provisions regarding security to manage the crowd. There was no separate entry or exit for the actors’ team though the theatre management had information about their arrival. Around 9:30 pm, actor Allu Arjun came to the theatre with his personal security and all the people gathered there tried to enter with him. His personal security team started pushing the public, which further aggravated the situation as there was already a huge gathering. Taking advantage of this situation, along with the actor and his security team, a large number of people entered the lower balcony area,” the SHO said.
“Revathi and her son Sreethej felt suffocated due to the large public influx. Immediately the police personnel who were on duty pulled them out of the public from the lower balcony. They performed CPR on her son and immediately shifted them to the nearby Durgabai Deshmukh Hospital. The doctors informed that she was dead and her son was advised to be shifted to another hospital for better treatment,” the SHO said.
On the child’s condition, the hospital said, “The critical condition is believed to be a result of prolonged unresponsiveness, likely causing severe hypoxia and potential lung injury from aspiration or contusions. Prompt CPR provided by bystanders and the police was instrumental in reviving the child, enabling further medical intervention.” Reported Indian Express.
