Woman dies, son injured as crowds throng theatre for 'Pushpa 2' screening in Hyderabad

Hyderabad: In a tragic incident in a stampede during a late-night benefit show of actor Allu Arjun's Pushpa-2: The Rule movie, a woman died, and her 8-year-old son is in critical condition. The incident took place at the iconic Sandhya Theatre in RTC X Cross Roads in Hyderabad late on Wednesday night.

The woman, identified as Revathi, 39, went to watch the movie with her husband, and two kids, and there was a huge gathering of Arjun's fans. Allu Arjun had arrived at the theatre to witness the mood and to watch the movie with his fans, which led to a stampede-like situation as they wanted to have a glimpse of their favourite actor.

In the stampede, Revathi lost her life, and her son Sree Tej, who fell unconscious due to suffocation, was immediately shifted to a nearby hospital. A case has been booked against the management of Sandhya Theatre.

“Our son, Tej, is a huge fan of Allu Arjun. We came to the theatre because of him. Everyone calls my son 'Pushpa.' My son regained consciousness after the police performed CPR on him, and they rushed him to the hospital. Initially, my wife and kids went inside, and the fans were manageable. But when Allu Arjun arrived, the crowd surged, causing a stampede. The doctors say my son's condition is critical. We demand action against Sandhya Theatre management for the tragedy," said Revathi's husband Bhaskar.

It is learnt that Bhaskar recently underwent liver transplantation as his wife donated. He is still in the recovery stage and is not currently employed.

A statement from KIMS hospital Secunderabad, where Tej is being treated stated that he exhibited low oxygen saturation and irregular breathing, necessitating immediate intubation and ventilation.

“An 8-year-old child was brought to the ER in a semi-conscious state. Prior to arrival, CPR was administered by police personnel and bystanders. Upon presentation, the child exhibited low oxygen saturation and irregular breathing, necessitating immediate intubation and ventilation. A CT scan of the brain and spine was performed, revealing no significant abnormalities," the statement said.

DCP central zone Akshansh Yadav said that there was no intimation from the side of theatre management or actors team that they will be visiting the theatre. The theatre management did not make any additional provisions regarding security to manage the crowd. Nor was there any separate entry or exit for the actors’ team though the theatre management had information about their arrival.

As actor Allu Arjun came to Sandhya theater with his personal security and all the people gathered there tried to enter the theater with him. His personal security team started pushing the public which further aggravated the situation as there was already a huge gathering at the theatre. Taking advantage of this situation along with the actor and his security team, a large number of people entered inside the lower balcony area.

“In this, one Revathi, from Dilsukhnagar, and her son Sreethej felt suffocated due to large public influx and immediately the police personnel who were on duty pulled them out of the public from the lower balcony and performed CPR to her son and immediately shifted to the nearby Durgabai Deshmukh Hospital. The doctor of Durgabai Deshmukh Hospital informed that she was dead and son Sri Tej was advised to be shifted to another hospital for better treatment,” said the DCP.

A case has been booked Under Section 105,118(1) r/w 3(5) BNS act in Chikkadpally Police Station based on the complaint of the family members of the deceased person and is being investigated. “Stringent action as per law will be taken against all the persons responsible for the chaotic situation inside the theatre leading to the death of a person and injury to others,” added the DCP.