Popular Indian actor, Allu Arjun was arrested on Friday after his appearance at a screening of his film, Pushpa 2: The Rule, which allegedly led to a stampede that killed a woman and injured several others, including her young son.
The tragic incident occurred on December 4 in Hyderabad, where thousands of fans had gathered outside a theatre to catch a glimpse of the 42-year-old star.
Arjun was taken into custody on suspicion of three offences, including “voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means,” according to a police officer speaking to reporters on condition of anonymity.
Seven others, including members of his security team and theatre staff, had already been arrested in connection with the incident.
Video footage shared by broadcaster TV9 showed Arjun holding a coffee mug and speaking to police officers as they arrived at his residence to arrest him.
Later in the day, he was granted interim bail for four weeks, according to local media reports.
The victim of the stampede was a woman in her 30s who had attended the screening with her son.
The child was seriously injured in the chaos. The woman’s family has since filed a formal complaint against Arjun, his security detail, and the theatre management, alleging negligence.
Two days after the incident, Arjun expressed his sorrow on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), saying, “I am deeply heartbroken. While respecting their need for space to grieve, I stand committed to extending every possible assistance to help them navigate through this challenging journey.”
Arjun is a major figure in Indian cinema, particularly in southern India, where he enjoys a massive fan following.
The Pushpa film series has been a blockbuster, earning millions at the box office. He won the Best Actor award at India’s National Film Awards for his role in the first instalment of the series.
Indian actor Allu Arjun arrested after stampede death at film screening