"Sorry for what happened": Allu Arjun apologizes after night in jail over Pushpa 2 stampede case

Actor Allu Arjun, who was recently arrested following a tragic stampede at the Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad, has expressed his deep condolences for the incident. The stampede, which occurred on December 4 during the premiere of his film Pushpa 2: The Rule, resulted in the death of a woman and left her son critically injured. Following his arrest, the actor was granted interim bail by the Telangana High Court on December 13. Speaking after his release, Allu Arjun described the incident as “unfortunate” and extended his sympathy to the affected family.

Actor Arrested and Released on Bail

Allu Arjun was initially arrested and sent to 14-day judicial custody following the tragic event at the theatre, where a massive crowd had gathered to see the star. However, the Telangana High Court granted him bail on December 13, just hours after he entered Chanchalguda Jail. His legal team submitted a bond of Rs 50,000, securing his release, which was delayed due to administrative issues. Once released, Allu Arjun arrived at his home in Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad, where he spoke to the media.



“I thank everyone for the love and support. I want to thank all my fans. There is nothing to worry about. I am fine. I am a law-abiding citizen and will cooperate,” Allu Arjun said after his release. He continued, “I would like to once again express my condolences to the family. It was an unfortunate incident. We are sorry for what happened.”

What happened at Sandhya Theatre

The incident occurred during the premiere of Pushpa 2: The Rule on December 4, when Allu Arjun arrived at the Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad. A large crowd gathered outside the theatre to see the actor, leading to a chaotic scene. As Allu Arjun waved to his fans from the sunroof of his vehicle, the situation rapidly deteriorated. The police allege that this action triggered a stampede, resulting in the tragic death of Revathi and serious injuries to her son.

According to the Telangana Police, the actor’s private security began pushing people to clear the path for his vehicle, leading to further confusion. Police also claimed that despite warnings about the large crowd and potential dangers, Allu Arjun’s team did not act promptly. "His team was intimated to take him back citing a large public gathering but they didn’t act on it and Allu Arjun was there inside the theatre for more than two hours. Therefore, it is clear that adequate police bandobust was in place, it was his actions which led to this unfortunate incident," the police stated.

Allu Arjun’s legal team, led by lawyer Ashok Reddy, contested the initial arrest and detention, arguing that the actor’s release was delayed unlawfully despite the High Court’s order. “They received an order copy from the High Court but despite that, they didn’t release the accused. They will have to answer... this is illegal detention, and we will take legal action,” Reddy remarked after the delay in the actor’s release.

The incident has attracted attention from both political figures and the film industry. Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president KTR condemned the arrest, while film celebrities such as Rashmika Mandanna and Varun Dhawan showed support for Allu Arjun during this difficult time.

Following the news of the accident, the actor has expressed his shock and sorrow over the incident, both publicly and privately. In a statement during the success meet of Pushpa 2, Allu Arjun revealed that it took him hours to process the events. “The incident that took place in the Sandhya theatre is very unfortunate... I'm shocked. It took me hours to process it and respond to the incident. I couldn’t process it psychologically. It took me around 10 hours. We all blanked out when we heard the news,” he said.

Despite the controversy surrounding the incident, Allu Arjun has continued to extend his condolences to the family of the deceased. "It was an accident, nothing like that happened before, I have extended all support to her family... thank you to all of you,” the actor added, maintaining that the incident was an unfortunate tragedy.