Actor Allu Arjun booked over death of woman at 'Pushpa 2' premiere in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: The police here on Thursday booked Telugu actor Allu Arjun and others including the management of Sandhya theatre in Hyderabad, over the death of a woman at Pushpa 2 premiere. The woman died and her son injured due to asphyxiation as crowds jostled at the film theatre to have a glimpse of the actor who made a surprise entry during the premiere of his much awaited film. 

The police registered the case against the actor, his security team and the theatre management, under sections 105 (culpable homicide that does not amount to murder) and 118(1) (intentionally causing hurt or grievious hurt) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Chikkadpally police station based on the complaint by the deceased's family.

The deputy commissioner of police in a statement said that the incident took place on Wednesday night when a large number of fans thronged the Sandhya theatre to have a glimpse of the actor. There were no arrangements by the theatre management or prior information about the arrival of the actor and other members of the film, confirmed the official. 

The deceased is 35-year-old Revathi, who hailed Dilshuknagar. She was accompanied by her 13-year-old son Sreethej. The woman's husband told a news channel that doctors had said the condition of his son would be known only after 48 hours.

According to the police, the theatre management did not make any additional provisions regarding security to manage the crowd. Nor there was any separate entry or exit for the actors' team though the theatre management had information about their arrival. After Arjun came to the theatre along with his personal security, people tried to enter the cinema hall with him, the police statement said.

"His personal security team started pushing the public which further aggravated the situation as there was already huge gathering at the theatre," it added.

A heavy crowd rushed ahead and the woman and her son, who were trying to enter inside the theatre, suffocated and fell unconscious apparently after being pushed by the crowd, the statement said.