The legal problems of the tragic Pushpa 2 premiere stampede case have again brought Telugu superstar Allu Arjun into the spotlight. The Nampally Court in Hyderabad has also issued summons to the actor and directed him to appear in person on June 22 for a hearing related to the case that shook the Telugu film industry last year.
The court has also summoned 19 other accused individuals connected to the incident. Allu Arjun is named as Accused No. 11 (A11) in police records and the Sandhya Theatre management have been named as Accused Nos. 1 to 10.
The case stems from the tragic events of December 4, 2024, when a huge crowd gathered outside Sandhya Theatre during the premiere of Pushpa 2: The Rule. Thousands of people had gathered in the middle of the evening after being told that Allu Arjun was going to be there. There was a stampede as the crowd was huge and it was too late.
During the chaos, a 35-year-old woman named Revathi died of suffocation. Her young son was also seriously injured and hospitalized. So there’s a lot of anger about crowd management and safety at big-name film screenings that there’s no doubt about it.
Hyderabad Police also said the theatre management and the actor's team had not informed authorities in advance about the visit, and should have raised security and crowd control measures. Police filed a case against Allu Arjun and his security team and theatre management officials under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) on the basis of their negligence and inadequate crowd-management.
The controversy was further exacerbated on December 13, 2024, when Allu Arjun was arrested by Hyderabad City Police for the same case. The actor was granted bail by Telangana High Court later that day.
Following the tragedy, Allu Arjun expressed his grief at Revathi's death and offered financial assistance to the victim's family. Still, investigators later included the actor in the chargesheet submitted before the court.
The new summons indicates the legal activity in the case is still ongoing as authorities try to determine responsibility for the fatal incident. The hearing on June 22 will be closely watched by both the film industry and the public, given the high-profile nature of the case and the questions it raises about celebrity appearances and event management and public safety.
Meanwhile, Allu Arjun is still one of India’s biggest stars. He is currently in the process of making the highly anticipated film Raaka, which is directed by Atlee. Deepika Padukone is likely to play the lead and Rashmika Mandanna, Mrunal Thakur and Janhvi Kapoor are expected to appear as well but the makers have not officially announced the list of actors.
The Pushpa 2 stampede case still serves as an example that big fan rallies and public safety can be difficult in the world of celebrity events.
