Sandhya Theatre tragedy: Allu Arjun approaches Telangana High Court against FIR

The FIR (Crime No. 376/2024) was lodged following a complaint by the de-facto complainant, who accused overcrowding and suffocation caused by the surge of people in the theatre, leading to the death of his wife and injuries to his son. The complainant also claimed that the actor’s arrival at the venue around 9:40 pm worsened the situation, with his security staff allegedly pushing attendees.

LEGAL CORRESPONDENT

Hyderabad: Actor Allu Arjun has approached the Telangana High Court seeking to quash the First Information Report (FIR) registered against him in connection with a tragic incident at Sandhya Theatre on December 4. The incident resulted in the death of one person and critical injuries to another during the premiere of his film ‘Pushpa 2 – The Rule’.

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The FIR (Crime No. 376/2024) was filed based on a complaint by the de-facto complainant, who alleged that overcrowding and suffocation caused by the surge in the theatre’s crowd led to the death of his wife and injuries to his son. The complainant claimed that the actor’s arrival at the venue around 9:40 pm intensified the crowd, with his security staff allegedly pushing people.

In his petition, Allu Arjun denied any involvement in the incident, asserting that his mere presence at the screening could not be deemed criminal. His legal team raised the contention that the actor had no direct role in the overcrowding and those necessary precautions, including prior security arrangements with the police and theatre management, were made to ensure crowd control. It was also pointed out that the actor’s production house had informed the theatre management and local police authorities about the anticipated crowd in advance.

On December 2, the theatre management had sent a formal request for additional security, specifically for crowd control, due to the expected presence of VIPs like Allu Arjun. The police, including senior officials such as the Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) and Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), were present at the venue to manage the crowd. The petition further highlighted that the actor’s attendance at film premieres was routine, without prior incidents, and that there was no intention or negligent act on his part that could have led to the tragedy.
Allu Arjun sought the quashing of the FIR, stating that there was no basis for criminal liability as his actions did not directly contribute to the events that unfolded.

The High Court may consider the petition this week.