Congress MLA threatens 'Pushpa 2' star Allu Arjun, says 'won't allow your films to run in Telangana' (WATCH)

The tragic stampede at the premiere of the much-anticipated film Pushpa 2: The Rule on December 4, which left one person dead and another critically injured, has escalated into a full-blown political controversy.

Sunita Iyer

First Published Dec 24, 2024, 9:04 PM IST | Last Updated Dec 24, 2024, 9:04 PM IST

The tragic stampede at the premiere of the much-anticipated film Pushpa 2: The Rule on December 4, which left one person dead and another critically injured, has escalated into a full-blown political controversy. The incident occurred at Sandhya Theatre, where massive crowds gathered to see Allu Arjun, the National Award-winning star of the film's prequel, Pushpa: The Rise.

Congress MLA Bhupathi Reddy, representing Nizamabad Rural, strongly criticized the actor during a public meeting at Nyalkal village in the Mopal mandal of Nizamabad district. Using harsh and abusive language, Reddy warned Allu Arjun against criticizing the state government and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.

Bhupathi Reddy accused the actor of ignoring police advice to avoid attending the premiere at Sandhya Theatre, where the stampede unfolded.

“You do your work and survive. What is your contribution to Telangana?” Reddy said.

He continued by threatening the actor, saying, “If you continue with the same behaviour, we won’t allow your films to run under Telangana government rule, I am warning you.”

Reddy also used an abusive word to emphasize his point. He added, “If you can do your work, do it properly or else go to Andhra (Pradesh).”

Police grill actor Allu Arjun for over 3 hours

On Tuesday, the Telangana police questioned top Telugu actor Allu Arjun about whether he was aware that authorities had denied permission for his visit to a theatre screening Pushpa 2 and if he knew about the tragic death of a woman during the stampede at the film’s premiere on December 4.

Allu Arjun arrived at the Chikkadpally police station on Tuesday, accompanied by his father, Allu Aravind, and his legal team, shortly after 11 AM. He was questioned for over three hours by a police team led by Central Zone DCP Akshansh Yadav and left the station around 2:45 PM.

Sources revealed that during the interrogation, the actor was asked to detail the sequence of events leading up to the incident and provide information about his private security arrangements. The police reportedly alleged that bouncers from his security team had pushed fans, contributing to the stampede.

“He cooperated with the police fully. If required, they said they’d call him again. They (the police) wanted to question him and he cooperated. They treated him very well,” Arjun’s advocate Ashok Reddy was quoted as saying in a PTI report.

"The interrogation was focused on Allu Arjun's entry into the theatre, exit and role of bouncers in crowd control near the star, sources close to the development said. "The police have recorded Allu Arjun's statement about the case," sources told the news agency.

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