When Pushpa 2 released in the theaters, Allu Arjun must have thought he would be in the headlines for some time. Well, the movie has released and continues to break box-office records since its premiere. But the headlines are not just about the movie’s success, rather a major chunk of them are about the icon star’s arrest. Here’s a summary of what has unfolded till now and how it raises serious questions about the lack of crowd control measures and celebrity hunting in our country.
It all started on the night of December 4. Allu Arjun arrived at the premiere of his latest release Pushpa 2: The Rule at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad. When he appeared out of his car’s sunroof, his fans went berserk to get a glimpse of the actor. Amidst the ocean of people, a stampede-like situation arose. This resulted in the death of and 39-year-old woman, M Revathi, while her nine-year-old son was hospitalised in critical condition.
After the incident was reported and the case was filed, the Hyderabad police arrested the owner of Sandhya Theater, the theater manager, and the balcony supervisor. But why was Allu Arjun arrested on Friday? The charges against him are sections 105 (punishment for culpable homicide not amounting to murder) and 118(1) r/w 3(5) (voluntarily causing hurt or grievous hurt) of the Indian Penal Code. To put it simply, it was Allu Arjun’s unannounced arrival at the scene that caused the stampede, and in turn the death of the victim.
Now as it stands, we are hearing two different narratives. Allu Arjun’s side says that the Police were informed beforehand. However, the Police say there was no such information, which eventually led to the failure to manage the crowd. Only time will tell which side holds the stronger argument when proper documentations are made public.
Arjun was arrested on the morning of the 13th. However, just hours after his arrest, the Telangana High Court granted 4 weeks of interim bail. Earlier, he was ordered to 14-day judicial custody by a lower court. In the words of the HC, “Right to life and liberty can’t be taken away just because he is an actor”, and it is “apparent that there is no malafide action associated to the petitioner”. Now Allu Arjun has returned home to his family. He has also addressed the media saying how deeply saddened he is by the tragedy. He has also promised to take care of the family financially and bear the medical expenses of the victims.
This brings us to the question if there is an undercurrent of celebrity hunting happening in the country. Like Diljit mentioned in one of his concerts how tickets getting sold in the black market is not his fault. Varun Dhawan also spoke about the stampede incident saying it’s not entirely the actor’s fault. In the recent ‘Aaj Tak Agenda’ event, Telangana CM Revanth Reddy addressed this issue by saying that whether one is a common man or the Prime Minister, the law stays the same for everyone.
In the recent developments of the case, the husband of the victim has decided to withdraw the case as he feels Allu Arjun was not at fault in this scenario.
No matter in which direction the case swings now, the most concerning part of this case is probably the least talked about, which is the crowd safety measures in public places. From the stampede in Hathras to the hospital fire in Jhansi – there are countless instances of people losing their lives because of horrible safety measures. We hope at least these cases involving high-profile celebrities act as a wake-up call for the authorities.