Getty ImagesA popular Indian actor was arrested and later released on bail in connection with a crush that killed a person at the premiere of his film.
Allu Arjun, one of the biggest stars of the Telugu film industry, had made a surprise appearance at the screening last week in Hyderabad city.
A 39-year-old woman was killed and her son critically injured in the crush.
A court initially sentenced the actor to 14 days in police custody but hours later, the high court granted him bail.
Police had filed a case against the actor, his security team and the theatre’s management staff on charges of culpable homicide.
The owner and two employees of the theatre were arrested earlier.
On Friday, the police arrived at the actor’s home and took him into custody, following which he was produced in a local court.
Accidents involving large crowds are often reported in India, where lax safety measures and poor crowd management have led to deaths. But it is unusual for big celebrities to be arrested in cases like these.
Pushpa 2, the highly anticipated sequel to the 2021 blockbuster Pushpa: The Rise, released in theatres earlier this month
Police said Allu Arjun arrived at the theatre at 21:30 local time (16:00GMT) through the main entrance.
“There was no intimation from the side of the theatre management or the actor’s team that they would be visiting,” Hyderabad police chief CV Anand said.
“His personal security team started pushing the public which further aggravated the situation as there was already a huge gathering at the theatre,” a police statement said.
Arjun’s lawyer said in court that the actor could be not held responsible for the incident and that the crush took place on a different floor from where he was.
Getty ImagesAs chaos broke out, a 39-year-old woman and her nine-year-old son were pulled out of the crowd as they felt “suffocated”, police said.
They were given first aid, before being taken to hospital.
While the woman died there, her son was shifted to a different hospital where he is still being treated.
Shortly after the incident, Allu Arjun wrote on X that he was “heartbroken by the tragic incident”.
“My heartfelt condolences go out to the grieving family during this unimaginably difficult time. I want to assure them they are not alone in this pain and will meet the family personally,” he wrote.
He later announced assistance of 2.5m rupees ($29,480; £23,346) for the woman’s family and promised to take care of the medical expenses for her son.
Mythri Movie Makers, the studio behind the film, also released a statement saying, “We are committed to standing by them and extending all possible support during this difficult time.”
