Dubai: South Indian actor Allu Arjun, who was arrested today in connection with a tragic stampede during the premiere of his highly anticipated film Pushpa 2: The Rule at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad, has been remanded to 14-day judicial custody. A few hours later, he was granted interim bail.
According to reports, the actor was arrested by the Hyderabad police's task force team on Friday morning. Videos of him taken into custody shows the actor finishing his coffee and speaking to his wife and son before being escorted in a police vehicle.
A report in Hindustan Times says that the Telangana High Court has indicated that it will grant interim bail for a certain period.
The actor,41, is being held partly responsible for triggering a stampede on December 4 which resulted in the death of a 35-year-old woman, Revathi. Her young son was also critically injured.
The chaos unfolded when Allu Arjun made an unannounced appearance at the theatre, drawing an overwhelming crowd eager to catch a glimpse of the superstar.
The sudden surge led to a stampede, with inadequate crowd control exacerbating the situation. Revathi and her son were pulled from the crowd by police officers and rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
Authorities have since charged Arjun, his security team, and the theatre management with culpable homicide not amounting to murder, citing negligence and lack of preparation for the event.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, Arjun extended monetary compensation to the grieving family, a gesture that was acknowledged but also sparked debate about accountability and safety at celebrity events.
The actor also expressed regret over the incident and vowed to cooperate fully with the ongoing investigation. "It’s a very unfortunate incident, and my heart goes out to the family affected," he said in a video while extending a compensation of Dh110,000 to the grieving family.
Following his arrest, the victim's husband told reporters that they were willing to drop the case.
"I am ready to withdraw the case. I was not aware of the arrest and Allu Arjun has nothing to do with the stampede in which my wife passed away," Bhaskar, the husband of the woman, Revathi, who died in the stampede, told local reporters, in a report published on NDTV.
Allu Arjun commands one of the most passionate and loyal fanbases in Telugu cinema, with his admirers often traveling great distances and enduring long waits just to catch a glimpse of their beloved star. His larger-than-life persona and relatable on-screen characters have turned him into a cultural icon.
