Hyderabad: The Hyderabad Police has filed a charge sheet in connection with the December 2024 stampede during the screening of Pushpa 2 at a theatre, naming 23 people as accused, including popular Telugu actor Allu Arjun.
Hyderabad police commissioner V.C. Sajjanar said Saturday, the investigation into the Sandhya 70mm Theatre stampede, in which one woman was killed, has been completed, and the charge sheet was filed before a local court on 24 December.
“The investigation established lapses in planning, crowd management, security arrangements, and coordination among the theatre management, event organisers, private security personnel, and others involved during the incident,” Sajjanar said on the charge sheet.
Asked about the details of the charge sheet, police officials said charges have been invoked under section 304-A of the Indian Penal Code (causing death by negligence) against theatre-owners and some other accused. They have also been booked under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) related to causing hurt and endangering public safety.
However, they remained tight-lipped about specific charges against the 43-year-old actor.
According to the police, a total of 23 accused have been chargesheeted, of whom 14 are under arrest, while the rest nine, who secured anticipatory bail, were served with notices.
The incident
The incident occurred during the premiere of Allu Arjun-starrer ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’ on 4 December last year.
Arjun was also present at Sandhya Theatre for the premiere, attracting hundreds of people who wanted to catch a glimpse of him. The city police and the management were unable to manage the crowd surge, resulting in the stampede.
Thirty-nine-year-old Revathi lost her life in the stampede, while her nine-year-old son Sritej was critically injured.
In an FIR registered in the case, Arjun was also booked along with his team members for culpable homicide not amounting to murder. He was arrested and subsequently granted bail by a local court in the case.
After the incident, the actor announced that Rs 2 crore would be given to the family of Revathi. His father and film producer Allu Arvind told the media earlier this year that the cheque was handed over to Dil Raju, the chairman of Telangana State Film Development Corporation.
Mythri Movies, the producers of Pushpa 2, also extended an assistance of Rs 50 lakh.
Criticism of probe
The Hyderabad police also drew flak for its investigation in the case, with the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) earlier this year, expressing dissatisfaction with the report submitted by the police department on the stampede.
The injured young boy underwent months of treatment and was shifted from KIMS Hospital to a neuro-rehabilitation centre in Hyderabad about five months after the incident.
Sritej’s father Bhaskar told the media earlier this year said that doctors had suggested that he be shifted to the rehabilitation centre.
(Edited by Ajeet Tiwari)