Hours after Telugu superstar Allu Arjun was arrested by Hyderabad Police in connection with the stampede which took place outside Sandhya Theatre, the husband of the deceased woman said that he is ready to withdraw the case. A 35-year-old woman, Revathi, was killed in the stampede as hundreds of fans gathered to get a glimpse of the actor amid Pushpa 2: The Rule screening on December 4. Her son was also injured.
In a major development, Revathi's husband, Bhaskar, reportedly stated that All Arjun has nothing to do with the stampede and that he was not aware of his arrest.
"I am ready to withdraw the case. I was not aware of the arrest and Allu Arjun has nothing to do with the stampede in which my wife passed away," he said.
Bhaskar added, "My son wanted to see the film and our family went to the theater. There is no fault of Allu Arjun. Police didn't inform me about the arrest."
The Hyderabad police had registered a case against Allu Arjun, his security team and Sandhya theatre management under sections 105 and 118 (1) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), based on a complaint lodged by the deceased woman’s family.
According to reports, the stampede resulted from poor crowd management and a lack of safety measures at the venue, leading to chaos.
For those unversed, the actor decided to attend the screening of the film at Sandhya Theatre in RTC Crossroads where his ardent fans went berserk to see the actor, and it resulted into a stampede. As hundreds of fans rushed to catch a glimpse of Allu Arjun, the main gate of the theatre collapsed. Local cops had resorted to mild lathicharge to disperse the crowd.
A few days back, Allu Arjun expressed his condolences over the death of Revathi. He shared a video in which he assured that he and the entire film team stands with the family. He also announced an assistance of Rs 25 lakh to help the bereaved family.
He said in the video, "We extend our deepest condolences to the family. We understand that no words or actions can ever compensate for the loss you are bearing. I would like to extend financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh to the family as a goodwill gesture... we will also take care of the medical expenses."
The caption along with the video reads, "Deeply heartbroken by the tragic incident at Sandhya Theatre. My heartfelt condolences go out to the grieving family during this unimaginably difficult time. I want to assure them they are not alone in this pain and will meet the family personally. While respecting their need for space to grieve, I stand committed to extend every possible assistance to help them navigate through this challenging journey."
