Telugu superstar Allu Arjun has been arrested in connection with a tragic stampede outside Sandhya Theatre, Hyderabad, which led to the death of a 35-year-old woman and left her young son injured. The incident occurred on December 3 during an unscheduled visit by the actor to a screening of his much-anticipated film, Pushpa 2: The Rule.

The 41-year-old actor was taken into custody from his residence in Jubilee Hills and brought to the Chikkadpally Police Station. Present at the time of his arrest were his father, renowned filmmaker Allu Arvind, and other family members.

Police have registered charges against Mr. Arjun, members of his security team, and the theatre’s management, including culpable homicide not amounting to murder and voluntarily causing hurt. Investigators are focusing on whether the actor had obtained police permission for the visit and his interaction with fans at the venue, which is located in a busy area surrounded by multiple cinema halls.

The stampede unfolded after Allu Arjun and Pushpa 2 music director Devi Sri Prasad made an unannounced appearance at the theatre, attracting a massive crowd. According to Hyderabad Police Commissioner CV Anand, there was no prior notice from the actor’s team or the theatre management about the visit, nor were adequate crowd management measures implemented.

The deceased, identified as Revathi, and her nine-year-old son were caught in the chaos as fans pushed and shoved to catch a glimpse of the star. Police said the pair experienced severe suffocation in the packed crowd before being rescued and rushed to a nearby hospital, where Revathi was declared dead.

The commissioner noted that the lack of separate entry and exit points exacerbated the situation, further highlighting the negligence in planning.

Following the incident, Mr. Arjun moved the Telangana High Court on December 11 to request quashing of the case. However, Hyderabad Police continued their investigation, citing negligence on multiple fronts.

In the wake of the tragedy, Mr. Arjun expressed his grief on social media platform X, stating, “Deeply heartbroken by the tragic incident… My heartfelt condolences go out to the grieving family during this unimaginably difficult time.”

The actor pledged ₹25 lakh as financial assistance to Revathi’s family and assured full coverage of her son’s medical expenses.

Despite his public apology and promises of support, questions remain about the safety measures and planning surrounding the surprise appearance, which turned deadly. Further details are awaited as the investigation continues.

Sagarika Ghose, Trinamool Congress MP on Thursday moved a privilege motion against Union Minister Kiren Rijiju for calling opposition MPs unworthy of being in Rajya Sabha.

Reportedly, the notice was endorsed by 60 opposition MPs. This follows a day after Kiren Rijiju, speaking to opposition MPs in Rajya Sabha, said that they all are not worthy of being in this house.

Addressing the media, Trinamool MP Sagarika Ghose said that the Minister for Parliamentary Affairs, Kiren Rijiju, instead of doing his best to run Parliament smoothly, has chosen to repeatedly insult the opposition.

She added that Kiren Rijiju has insulted opposition members and used personal terms both inside and outside Parliament. She continued that this is totally unbecoming of the high office he holds and amounts to total misuse of his position.

In a privilege motion against Union Minister Kiren Rijiju, Trinamool MP accused him of misusing his office and using unparliamentary language against the opposition. Many senior leaders from all opposition parties have signed the motion, she added.

Earlier on Wednesday, Kiren Rijiju criticised opposition members, saying they were not worthy of being in the House. He further defended Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar, who has faced opposition attacks.

The Union Minister said that if the Opposition cannot respect the chair, then they have no right to be a member of this House.

Nearly sixty MPs from the opposition INDIA bloc on Tuesday submitted a notice in the Rajya Sabha for a no-confidence motion against Jagdeep Dhankhar. The Opposition accused him of being extremely partisan in his role as chairman of the Upper House.

In the no-confidence motion, Congress Chief Mallikarjun Kharge said that the Opposition have no personal enmity or political fight with him, but want to tell the countrymen that they have taken this step to safeguard democracy, the Constitution, and after giving it a lot of thought.

Ahead of the assembly elections, Aam Aadmi Party chief Arvind Kejriwal on Thursday announced that the Delhi cabinet has cleared a financial assistance proposal for women over the age of 18. He further announced that the assistance of Rs 1,000, originally announced in March, would be hiked to Rs 2,100 if the AAP wins. 

Arvind Kejriwal noted that the money would not be credited into bank accounts since elections were likely to be announced soon, but said that registrations for the scheme, named Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana, would begin tomorrow.

The former Delhi Chief Minister said that the registration will begin tomorrow, and the registrations will begin for Rs 2,100 and not Rs 1000. He made this announcement at Mahila Samman Yojana event where he was accompanied by Delhi Chief Minister Atishi.

Arvind Kejriwal stated that previously he had promised to give Rs 1000 to every woman, but some women came to him and said that Rs 1,000 would not be sufficient due to inflation. Therefore, Rs 2,100 will be deposited into the accounts of all women, he continued. Furthermore, the AAP national convenor said that the aforesaid proposal was passed in the cabinet meeting chaired by Atishi this morning, following which the scheme has been implemented.

In March 2024, the then Kejriwal-led Delhi government announced Rs 1,000 per month to all women above 18 years in the national capital under the Mukhyamantri Samman Yojna.

Notably, this initiative bore resemblances to Madhya Pradesh’s Ladli Behna Yojana, under which women from lower- and middle-class homes would receive a monthly transfer of Rs 1,000 into their accounts.

In his address today, Arvind Kejriwal said the scheme would prove to be a boon for the Delhi government as it will be blessed by mothers and sisters, benefitting from the monthly funding.

He also added that women build the future of the country, and they consider it their privilege to support them in their work. Along with Delhi’s two crore population, the government overcomes the biggest obstacles, he said, adding no obstacle can prevent them from doing good work for the people of the city.

Lashing out at the BJP, Arvind Kejriwal said that he first announced the scheme in March and hoped that it would be implemented at least by May. However, the BJP conspired and sent him to jail based on a fraud case. He added that since his return from jail, he has worked to implement this scheme with Atishi. 

Arvind Kejriwal was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate in March in connection to the Delhi liquor policy case. The former Chief Minister was released from Tihar Jail on September 13 after the Supreme Court granted him bail. Four days later, he resigned as the Delhi Chief Minister.

The elections to the 70-member Delhi Assembly are expected in January 2025. The AAP has so far released two lists of candidates to contest the election.