Theatre stampede: Allegations against me false, says Allu Arjun on Telangana CM's comments

Actor Allu Arjun on Saturday said the incident in which a woman died and her son was injured during the screening of 'Pushpa-2' at a theatre here on December 4 was purely an accident and denied the allegations made by Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

Hours after Reddy slammed the actor for holding a roadshow and waving to the crowds at the theatre, without referring to anyone, the 'Pushpa 2' star refuted the allegations and said it was not a procession or a roadshow.

He asserted that he was not against any department or political leader individually or government.

"There is a lot of misinformation that I behaved in a particular way (irresponsibly). These allegations are wrong. It’s humiliating and a character assassination. There is a lot of misinformation going on, a lot of false allegations, especially character assassination," he told reporters in a hurriedly held press conference.

He said he built up his career and image with the hard work of 20 years and when it is being sabotaged, it really hurts.

Reddy on Saturday alleged that despite police permission being denied, the top Telugu actor visited the theatre where 'Pushpa-2' was screened on December 4.

Even after the death of a woman in a stampede, the actor did not leave the cinema hall, prompting the police to force him out, CM alleged.

Responding to the issue after AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi raised it in the Assembly, Reddy, referring to videos in circulation, found fault with Allu Arjun for holding a roadshow and waving to the crowds in spite of the heavy rush.

Reacting to the allegation that there was no permission for his visit to the theatre, the actor said it was not true and, in fact, the police were clearing the way for him and he reached the venue under their directions.

"Had there not been permission, they would have told us to return and I am a law abiding citizen. I would’ve followed that. Nothing of that sort of information was given to me. I was following as per their guidance and it was not a roadshow. There was no procession. It was a crowd few meters away from the theatre," he said.

On the allegations that he did not leave the cinema hall even after the news of the death of the woman, prompting the police to force him out, Allu Arjun said no police personnel approached him in the theatre to vacate the place, but one of his associates, for whom he immediately obeyed.

"I am not inhuman," he said.

Specifically on roadshow allegations, he said it is a practice that when there was a crowd any celebrity would come out and wave to the people. Otherwise, it may be taken as arrogance.

"There is a false allegation that there was a roadshow and procession. It was not a procession. It was not a roadshow. I was just a few metres away from the theatre. My car has just stopped," he said.

Describing the death of the woman as an accident, he said he was not blaming anyone as it is an unfortunate incident.

The actor said he could have visited the boy who is undergoing treatment at a hospital, but his legal team strongly advised against the idea.

A 35-year-old woman died and her eight-year-old son was injured on December 4 during a stampede-like situation at the Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad when thousands of fans jostled to have a glimpse of the actor at the premiere of the blockbuster 'Pushpa 2'.

Following the incident, the city police registered a case against Allu Arjun, his security team, and the theatre management under different sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Chikkadpally police station based on the complaint lodged by the deceased woman's family.

Allu Arjun was arrested by the city police in connection with the death of the woman on December 13. The Telangana High Court granted him a four-week interim bail on the same day and he was released from a prison here on December 14 morning.