NEW DELHI: Telugu superstar Allu Arjun was released from Hyderabad’s Chanchalguda Central Jail on Saturday morning after securing bail from the Telangana High Court in a high-profile case linked to the tragic death of a woman during the screening of his film Pushpa 2: The Rule.
The actor was arrested on Friday morning by Hyderabad Police in connection with a stampede at Sandhya Theatre on December 4. The incident left a 35-year-old woman dead and her eight-year-old son hospitalized, triggering outrage and a thorough investigation into the circumstances.
Allu Arjun was taken to the Chikkadpally police station, where a local court remanded him to 14-day judicial custody. Although the Telangana High Court granted him four weeks’ interim bail later that day, the bail order reportedly reached the prison authorities late, forcing the actor to spend the night in jail. He was assigned prisoner number 7697 and, according to reports, slept on the prison floor.
In his first public statement after his release, Allu Arjun expressed his condolences to the victim’s family and pledged full cooperation with the investigation. “I am a law-abiding citizen and will cooperate. I would like to once again express my condolences to the family. It was an unfortunate incident,” he told reporters.
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The case has sparked a political debate in Telangana. While BJP and BRS leaders criticized the police for allegedly mishandling the actor’s arrest, Congress representatives emphasized that the law applies equally to all, regardless of celebrity status.
The legal proceedings began after the victim’s family lodged a complaint, leading to the registration of a case against Allu Arjun, his security team, and the theatre management under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). However, in a surprising development, the woman’s husband has stated that he does not hold the actor responsible for the tragedy and expressed his willingness to withdraw the case.
The actor’s legal team has argued that the theatre management had informed local authorities and sought police assistance to control the crowd. They denied any deliberate negligence on Arjun’s part. The Telangana High Court, while granting bail, instructed the actor to cooperate with the probe, stressing that celebrity status does not exempt one from accountability.
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Upon his release, Allu Arjun returned to his residence in Jubilee Hills, where an emotional reunion awaited him. According to a viral tweet by journalist Girish Varma, Arjun’s wife, Sneha Reddy, became tearful upon seeing him at home. The tweet included an image of the actor entering his residence, capturing a moment that resonated deeply with his fans.
The incident has cast a shadow over the release of Pushpa 2, which has been highly anticipated by fans across India.