Hyderabad:
BRS leader KT Rama Rao slammed Telangana’s ruling Congress Friday over the arrest of actor Allu Arjun, labelling it “the pinnacle of insecurity of the rulers!” “Treating Allu Arjun garu as a common criminal is uncalled for especially for something he isn’t directly responsible,” KTR posted on X.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy responded soon after, saying neither he nor his government had any role to play in the actor’s arrest. “No political reason to be read into…all are equal before the law” he said.
Hours earlier Allu Arjun was arrested in connection with the stampede outside a Hyderabad theatre – it was showing his film ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule‘ – last week in which one woman was killed. He was taken from his home in the Jubilee Hills area to the Chikkadpally Police Station for further questioning.
And shortly after that Mr Arjun filed a petition seeking to delay his arrest till Monday.
READ | Allu Arjun Arrested Days After Woman Killed In ‘Pushpa 2’ Stampede
Responding to the actor’s arrest, KTR raged on X, “I totally sympathise with the victims of the stampede but who failed really? Treating Allu Arjun garu as a common criminal is uncalled for especially for something he isn’t directly responsible. There is always space for respect and dignified conduct.”
Arrest of National Award winning star Allu Arjun is the pinnacle of insecurity of the rulers!
I totally sympathize with the victims of the stampede but who failed really?
Treating @alluarjun Garu as a common criminal is uncalled for especially for something he isn’t directly… pic.twitter.com/S1da96atYa
— KTR (@KTRBRS) December 13, 2024
“I strongly condemn high-handed behaviour of the government. The arrest of National Award-winning star is the pinnacle of insecurity of the rulers!” KTR, whose party was thumped by the Congress in last year’s Assembly election, said.
The BRS leader was joined in his condemnation of the Congress by the BJP’s Thakur (Tiger) Raja Singh, the MLA from the Goshamahal constituency.
Mr Singh called the stampede “a glaring failure of the police (and) not the fault of the National Award-winning star”, and demanded the Congress fix the blame where it belongs – with “those responsible for maintaining public safety”.
The tragic stampede incident is a glaring failure of the police department, not the fault of National Award-winning star @alluarjun, who has brought immense pride to the Telugu states with his accolades and achievements.
Holding him accountable for something he isn’t directly… pic.twitter.com/LA1spIWtpi
— Raja Singh (@TigerRajaSingh) December 13, 2024
“Holding him accountable for something he isn’t directly responsible for is both unjust and unwarranted. Instead of addressing the systemic issues and lapses in crowd management, targeting a celebrated icon reflects poorly on the administration,” he said.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy has responded, saying neither he nor his government had any role to play in the actor’s arrest. “No political reason to be read into…” he said.
Pushpa 2 Stampede
The stampede broke after the hugely popular actor made what the cops said was an unscheduled appearance at the theatre showing ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule‘. A 35-year-old woman was killed and her nine-year-old son was injured as the crowd jostled and shoved each other to catch a glimpse of Allu Arjun.
READ | “Son Wanted To Watch Pushpa 2”: Man Whose Wife Was Killed
Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand had said then, “There was no intimation from the side of theatre management or actors’ team… that they will be visiting the theatre…” and noted also that no separate entry, or exit, had been provided, even though the theatre knew they were coming.
According to the police, Mr Arjun arrived at the theatre at 9.30 pm. As news of his arrival – he used the main entrance and spent 15-20 minutes outside – spread, hundreds of people thronged to catch a glimpse of him. His security team started pushing the crowd back and that aggravated the situation.
The woman and her son felt “suffocated”, the police said. They were pulled out of the crowd by police who performed emergency first aid and shifted them to a nearby hospital, where the mother died.
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