Following the stampede incident at the premiere of Pushpa 2, Allu Arjun held his first press conference yesterday to address the situation of abusive language and social media fraud after facing backlash in the Telangana Assembly. During the screening at Sandhya Theater in Hyderabad, a tragic stampede led to the death of a woman and the hospitalization of her child.
Allu Arjun appeals audience to refrain from using abusive language
In a statement made on Sunday, Allu Arjun appealed to his fans to refrain from using abusive language, whether online or offline. He expressed concern regarding fans who misuse his image in their profile pictures, warning that such actions would have consequences.
Allu Arjun urged his supporters, stating, “I call upon all my fans to express their feelings responsibly and to avoid any form of abusive language or behaviour, both online and offline. If anyone posts abusive comments under a fake identity while claiming to be my fan, strict action will be taken against them. I request my fans not to engage with such posts.”
Allu Arjun responds to backlash
The stampede incident was a significant topic in the Telangana Assembly, where AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi publicly criticized Allu Arjun. Additionally, CM Revanth Reddy labelled the actor as careless for remaining in the theatre despite knowing about the death. In light of these allegations, Allu held a press conference on December 21.
During the press conference, Allu expressed his sorrow over the incident, stating, “This was an accident, and I extend my condolences to the family. I don’t want to blame anyone; this feels like character assassination. There’s a lot of misinformation being circulated. I apologize for what has happened. Contrary to rumours, there was no roadshow.”
What happened at Sandhya Theatre?
On December 4, a stampede occurred at Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theater during the Pushpa 2 premiere. This resulted in one woman’s death and her son needing ICU care. Allu Arjun released a video expressing his sympathy, mentioning he could not visit the victim’s family due to legal advice. However. he has vowed to support them.
Allu was arrested on December 13 in connection with the stampede case. The court initially ordered him to be held in judicial custody for 14 days. However, the Telangana High Court later granted him interim bail for four weeks. Last week, both the actor’s father, Allu Arvind, and Pushpa 2 director Sukumar visited the hospitalized child.