A popular actor in southern India was released from jail on bail on Saturday, a day after he was arrested by police in connection with a stampede that led to the death of a woman at the premiere of his movie earlier this month.
A 35-year-old woman died and her eight-year-old son was critically injured in the stampede, which occurred during the screening of Allu Arjun‘s release for Pushpa 2: The Rule in southern Telangana state’s Hyderabad city on December 4.
Arjun was arrested after the woman’s husband filed a case against him, his security team and the theatre’s management for not informing police of the actor’s plan to attend the screening, which resulted in a larger-than-expected crowd.
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Police charged the actor, his security team and the theatre’s management staff with culpable homicide not amounting to murder.
Police have already arrested the theatre’s owner and two of his employees in connection with the case.
A local court on Friday ordered the actor to spend 14 days in jail, but within hours the Telangana High Court granted him bail. However, the actor had to spend the night in jail because prison authorities did not receive a copy of the bail until late Friday, the Press Trust of India reported.
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Fans had gathered outside the Chanchalguda Jail to protest his arrest as the actor spent a night behind bars.
Following his release, the actor spoke to media outside the jail, denying any direct involvement in the incident and pledging his full cooperation and providing any assistance needed, as per India Today.
“We are extremely sorry for the family, it is purely accidental. I was inside the theatre watching the film with my family and the incident took place outside the theatre, It was purely of no direct connection to me,” the actor said.
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“My love and respect to the family. I have been visiting the theatre for the last few years, I have been to the same place almost 30 times. Never has such a thing happened. It was purely accidental. I am extremely sorry for the accident that happened.”
The accident happened after the 41-year-old actor made a surprise appearance at a local theatre where the movie was being screened. As his fans surged toward the venue, the theatre’s main gate collapsed, resulting in the stampede.
Shortly after the accident, Arjun wrote on the social platform X that he was “heartbroken by the tragic incident.” He later announced financial assistance of $US 29,000 (approx. $45,647) for the woman’s family and promised to take care of the medical expenses for her injured son.
Deadly stampedes are relatively common in India, where large crowds gather in small areas with shoddy infrastructure and few crowd safety measures.
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