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The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) on Wednesday, August 6, issued a show-cause notice to Telangana Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao asking why it shouldn’t recommend a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to the family of Revathi, who died in the stampede during a premiere show of Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2 last year.
The NHRC has also pulled up the police, questioning why they allowed Allu Arjun to visit the theatre and fans to gather around him, after permission was denied. NHRC held that there was “negligence and lapse in maintaining public order” by the police, Indian Express reported.
In an earlier response over NHRC’s concerns dated July 19, the Chikkadpally Assistant Commissioner of Police justified not taking action against Allu Arjun before the stampede.
The stampede, which took place on December 4, 2024, was triggered by Allu Arjun's sudden visit to the Sandhya theatre at RTC crossroads for a premiere show of his film Pushpa 2: The Rule. While 35-year-old Revathi died in the stampede, her eight-year-old son, Sri Teja, was hospitalised on respiratory support for five months before being discharged for neurorehabilitation.
ACP L Ramesh had informed the Hyderabad Commissioner of Police that trying to take action against Allu Arjun before the stampede occurred “would have risked escalating the crowd into a mob, potentially leading to damage to public property and further breach of public order.”
He said that the police prioritised public safety and acted with due diligence under “challenging circumstances” to control the situation and prevent further harm.
After considering the reports submitted by the police, NHRC held that “there was a negligence and lapse in maintaining the public order in the part of police authorities in providing adequate assistance and ensure the safety when it was clear that there will be a huge crowd gathering,” according to The Hindu.
The NHRC is looking into a complaint filed by advocate Rama Rao Immaneni over the death of Revathi following the stampede and alleged lathicharge at Sandhya theatre. Police denied the allegations of lathicharge in a response submitted earlier on March 20, claiming that they had shown “exceptional proactive response” in managing the crowd and rescuing those injured in the stampede.
Following the incident, police had registered a case against Allu Arjun, his security staff, the theatre management and others under sections 105 (culpable homicide), 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt) read with 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).