Tollywood superstar Allu Arjun and 22 others have been named as accused in the charge sheet filed in connection with the stampede during a screening of the actor’s Pushpa 2: The Rule in December 2024 that left a woman dead.
The stampede broke out on the night of December 4, 2024 at Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad as fans gathered to catch a glimpse of the actor during the screening of the benefit show of his film, killing 35-year-old M Revathi and leaving her nine-year-old son, Sritej, critically injured.
The charge sheet, filed by the Hyderabad police in a local court earlier this week, named the theatre’s owner, partners, manager and lower balcony In-charge and gatekeeper as accused number 1 to 10, while Arjun has been named as accused no 11.
“Following a comprehensive and detailed probe, a chargesheet was filed before the court on December 24. A total of 23 accused have been charge-sheeted in the case. Of these, 14 accused were arrested, while nine accused, who obtained anticipatory bail, were served notices,” Hyderabad police commissioner V C Sajjannar said in a statement issued on Saturday.
He added that their investigation has 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.
The charge sheet named Sandhya theatre owner Agamati Ram Reddy as the prime accused (A-1) while his partners A Chinna Ram Reddy, M Sandeep, M Sumeeth, A Vinay Kumar, A Ashutosh Reddy, M Renuka Devi and A Aruna Reddy were also among the co-accused. The theatre manager M Nagaraju and lower-balcony in-charge and gatekeeper Gandhakam Vijay Chander were also named as A-9 and A-10.
While Allu Arjun was named as A-11, his managers Josya Bhatla Santosh Kumar and Sharath Chandra Naidu figured in the charge sheet as A-12 and A-13. His personal security guards Cheruku Ramesh and Sriramula Raju and five private bouncers, Allu Arjun’s fans’ association in-charge Tatipamula Vinay Kumar, event organiser Talla Kiran Kumar Goud and his assistant Mohd Pravez were also named as the accused.
“Further proceedings in the case will continue as per law,” the police commissioner said.
Following the incident, the city police registered a case against Arjun, his security team, and the theatre management under different sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Chikkadpally police station based on a complaint lodged by the deceased woman’s family. He was arrested on December 13, 2024 and released from jail on December 14, 2024 after the Telangana high court granted him interim bail. He was granted regular bail later.
Arjun and the makers of the film ‘Pushpa’ had extended financial assistance to the family of the boy. The Telangana government had also announced financial assistance to the family.