Protesters Storm Allu Arjun’s Hyderabad House Over Pushpa 2 Stampede, 6 Held | Watch

SOURCE ; NEW18

Last Updated:December 22, 2024, 23:59 IST

The protesters pelted stones at actor’s residence, held placards and staged a protest. They also raised slogans against the actor and blamed him for the death of a woman in stampede at Sandhya theatre on Dec 4.

Several members of Osmania University on Sunday afternoon barged into the house of Tollywood star Allu Arjun in Jubilee Hills in Hyderabad and damaged the property.

The protesters pelted stones at actor’s residence, held placards and staged a protest. They also raised slogans against the actor and blamed him for the death of a woman in stampede at Sandhya theatre during screening of premier show of his Pushpa 2 movie.

Police in a release said that one of the protesters who arrived at Allu Arjun’s house, mounted the compound wall and started throwing tomatoes. When the security staff objected and persuaded them to get down from the wall, they manhandled the security staff and damaged some flower pots, the release said.

Six protesters, reported to be the members of the Osmania University’s Joint Action Committee (JAC), were held, news agency ANI reported. The members of the Osmania University’s Joint Action Committee were demanding a compensation of Rs 1 crore for the victim’s family. A case has been registered against the six and a few others who were involved in the vandalism.

A video of the incident showed several men storming inside the actor’s house and causing damage to the property. Flower pots inside the compound were also vandalised by the protesters.

Another video showed protesters burning Allu Arjun’s effigy outside his residence.

Notably, Allu Arjun was not present at his residence when the incident occurred.

Allu Arjun’s Father Reacts

Allu Arjun’s father, Allu Aravind reacted to the stone pelting attack and said that incidents like these should not be encouraged.

While speaking to the press at the home he shared with Allu Arjun, Allu Aravind said, “Everyone has seen what happened at our house today. But it is time for us to act accordingly. Now is not the right time for us to react to anything.” He further said that the police have arrested the vandalisers and have filed a case against them. “The police are ready to take away anyone else who comes here to create a ruckus. No one should encourage incidents like these,” he said. “But I will not react just because the media is here. Now is the time to practice restraint. The law will take its own course,” he concluded.

CM Reddy condemns attack, orders action against accused

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy condemned the stone pelting incident at the actor’s residence and ordered the state DGP and the city police commissioner to take strict action against the protesters.

“I condemn the attack on the homes of film celebrities. I order the state DGP and the city police commissioner to take strict action in the matter of law and order. No laxity will be tolerated in this matter. Senior officials should take precautions to ensure that police personnel who are not involved in the Sandhya Theater incident do not respond,” he said in a post on X.

BJP condemns attack, hits out at law and order situation

Union minister and BJP leader G Kishan Reddy condemned the stone pelting incident at the actor’s residence and said that the incident highlighted the failure of law and order under the Congress government in Telangana.

“The incident of stone pelting at actor Allu Arjun’s residence in Hyderabad highlights the shocking failure of law and order under the Congress government in the state. Incidents reflect the administration’s inability to protect & ensure the safety and security of citizens. Targeting of artists and cine industry has become a dangerous norm under the Congress Govt in Telangana. Is this Congress supported / sponsored?” he said in a post on X.

Youth Congress behind vandalisation incident?

As per the photos of the protesters surfaced on the social media, it is alleged that Congress has orchestrated the attack at Allu Arjun’s residence. In the photos, one of the accused in the vandalisation incident, Kodangal Youth Congress President Srinivas Reddy was seen with CM Reddy. Kodangal is the constituency of Revanth Reddy

As per the reports, Srinivas Reddy led the protests and was among those barging the actor’s Jubilee Hills’ residence.

Allu Arjun urges fans to act responsibly

Earlier today, Allu Arjun, issued a statement on social media, urging fans to act responsibly. He said, “I appeal to all my fans to express their feelings responsibly, as always and not resort to any kind of abusive language or behavior both online and offline. Misrepresentating as my fans with fake IDs and fake profiles, if someone indulges in abusive posts, strong action will be taken against them. I request the fans to not engage with such posts.”

December 4 Stampede

On December 4, a woman died when a tragic incident that took place during the Pushpa 2 screening at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad. The chaos unfolded as massive crowds gathered to catch a glimpse of the film’s star, Allu Arjun, who was attending the event alongside music director Devi Sri Prasad. In the ensuing commotion, the theatre’s main gate collapsed, resulting in a stampede. A 35-year-old woman lost her life, and her 9-year-old son sustained severe injuries.

However, the deceased woman’s husband, had said that he was willing to withdraw the case. In his statement, he shared that he doesn’t hold Allu Arjun responsible for the stampede that claimed his wife’s life. “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,” he had said.

Allu Arjun Arrested, Sent to Judicial Custody, Then Granted Bail

On December 13, the actor was arrested and sent to 14 days of judicial custody in connection with the stampede case by a local court, but later was granted interim bail by the Telangana High Court on same day. He was released from prison on December 14.

The actor was booked under Sections 105 and 118(1) of the BNS Act. He has been accused of criminal negligence and voluntarily causing hurt.

The court had ruled that there was no malafide action associated with the Tollywood actor in the ongoing case. Granting him interim bail for a period of four weeks, the court provided the actor with a significant relief. In addition, the court set a personal bail bond of Rs 50,000.

Uproar in Assembly

Uropar against the Pushpa actor escalated after Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy alleged that he visited the theatre during the film’s screening despite police permission being denied, a charge that Allu Arjun denied.

Reddy further said the movie star did not leave the cinema hall even after the death of the woman in the stampede, prompting the police to force him out. Reddy also criticised Allu Arjun for holding a roadshow and waving at the crowd alongside co-actress Rashmika Mandanna despite the overwhelming number of people, which risked a stampede. He said the theatre management gave a letter to the police on December 2 seeking security for the visit of top actors and others on the ill-fated day.

Responding to the allegations, Allu Arjun said he had no idea about the stampede incident and only came to know about it in the next morning when a case was filed against him, due to which he could not visit the family. He also expressed condolences to the victim’s family over the “unfortunate incident”.

The movie star dismissed the allegations levelled by CM Revanth Reddy and Telangana MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi as “misinformation” and claimed that the allegations amounted to a “character assassination” against him.