Telugu actor Allu Arjun is being questioned by the police at Hyderabad's Chikkadpally police station for questioning in connection with the death of a 35-year-old woman in a stampede during the premiere of his film, 'Pushpa 2: The Rise', at a theatre in the city earlier this month. Arjun's father Allu Aravind accompanied him to the police station.
Arjun is attending the questioning along with his lawyer Ashok Reddy. The inquiry is being conducted under the supervision of Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ramesh and Circle Inspector Raju, sources said.
According to sources, Arjun would likely be asked whether the theatre management had given him permission in advance to visit Sandhya Theatre, where the stampede occurred, for the premiere of his movie.
The actor may be asked if he or his public relations team had got police permission to visit the theatre and the number of bouncers he arranged for the visit. He would possibly be questioned whether his public relations team had briefed him on the situation at the theatre in advance.
There was heavy security outside Arjun's home as police barricaded the area to prevent a repeat of Sunday's incident, when a group of men, claiming to be Osmania University students, barged into the residence and vandalised the property.
Arjun was issued a notice to appear before the police on Tuesday as part of the ongoing probe into the stampede during the screening of Pushpa 2 on December 4. He was asked to appear at 11 am. The actor had earlier said he would cooperate with the investigation.
Media accessed a copy of the notice issued to Arjun by the Chikkadpally police station on Monday.
On December 4, the woman, Revathi, died and her eight-year-old son was admitted to a hospital in a stampede that broke out when Arjun visited the Sandhya Theatre during the screening of Pushpa 2. The incident occurred as thousands of fans rushed to get a glimpse of the actor.
Following the incident, the police filed a case against the actor, his security team and the theatre management under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
Arjun was arrested in connection with the case on December 13. Later on the same day, he got a four-week interim bail from the Telangana High Court. He was subsequently released from the prison on the morning of December 14.
Arjun announced an assistance of Rs 25 lakh for the victim's family, while Pushpa 2 producers gave financial aid of Rs 50 lakh.
Earlier on Sunday, a group of people, claiming to be the students of Osmania University, stormed into the actor's home and demanded Rs 1 crore as compensation to the victim's family. They threw tomatoes, broke flower pots and destroyed the property.
Police arrested six people in connection with the incident. However, they all got bail from a Hyderabad court on Monday.
