'Humiliating and unfair...’: Allu Arjun breaks silence on Pushpa 2 stampede, says 'I have a child of same age'

Telugu superstar Allu Arjun has found himself at the center of a controversy following the Hyderabad stampede incident during the premiere of his film Pushpa 2.

The tragic event, which resulted in the death of a 35-year-old woman and left her eight-year-old son critically injured, has sparked allegations of negligence and misconduct against the actor.

Addressing the media, Arjun expressed his frustration over what he described as baseless accusations. “A lot of misinformation is going around. I am not trying to blame anyone, any department, or political leader. It is humiliating and feels like character assassination. Please don’t judge me,” he said, adding that he remains “apologetic for what happened.”

The incident occurred on December 4 at the Sandhya Theatre in Hyderabad, where thousands of fans had gathered. Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy alleged that Arjun attended the event without police permission and failed to leave the theatre even after being informed of the fatality.

Arjun, however, denied these claims. “Permission was sought from the theatre management. The police cleared the way, so I went in. I am a law-abiding citizen. I would have left if I were told that there was no permission,” he said.

The controversy escalated with accusations that Arjun waving to fans from his car’s sunroof created chaos among the crowd. The actor refuted the allegations, stating, “I did not conduct any roadshow. No policeman approached me to leave. My manager told me the crowd was uncontrollable and asked me to leave.”

Adding to the controversy, Telangana MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi claimed that an unnamed actor, upon learning of the woman’s death, allegedly remarked, “The film will now be a hit.” Arjun dismissed the claim, saying, “I have a child of the same age. Wouldn’t I feel the pain? No one is to be blamed.”

The actor, who won a national award for his performance, was arrested earlier this month in connection with the incident but secured bail within 24 hours.