Woman dies, son critical in stampede at Pushpa 2 theatre screening

The incident took place on Wednesday night when a large number of fans thronged the cinema hall to have a glimpse of the actor

A 35-year-old woman died, and her nine-year-old son was critically injured in a stampede at a theatre which was screening Allu Arjun-starrer “Pushpa-2: The Rule” in Hyderabad late on Wednesday night, police said on Thursday.

Footwears lie on the floor during the premiere show of Telugu film ‘Pushpa 2’, in Hyderabad. (PTI photo)

The incident took place at Sandhya 70 mm theatre at the busy RTC Cross Roads near Musheerabad at around 10pm. The deceased was identified as Revathi.

“She, along with her husband Bhaskar (42), son and daughter from Dilsukhnagar area, came to the theatre at around 9:30pm for the premier show of Pushpa-2: The Rule, for which they had booked the ticket in advance,” a police official of the Chikkadpally police station said.

The entire area housing many other cinema theatres, was packed with thousands of fans of Allu Arjun.

“What compounded the chaos was the arrival of the hero, along with the film crew, to Sandhya 70 mm, to watch the show. This led to a stampede-like situation, as the frenzied fans surged forward to have a glimpse of the actor,” a police official said.

As the situation spiralled out of control, police personnel resorted to lathi-charge to disperse the crowds.

“The family, which was standing near the theatre entrance, was jostled and pushed down by the crowds. While Bhaskar and his daughter managed to escape with mild injuries, Revanthi and the minor son were trampled by the crowds,” the police official added.

An alert police constable rescued the mother and son, who were in a state of unconsciousness.

“He performed cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR) on the woman and shifted her and her son to Durgabai Deshmukh Hospital for immediate treatment. However, she was declared dead on arrival at the hospital, while the son’s condition was critical and he was immediately shifted to a corporate hospital in Banjara Hills,” the police said.

“We have shifted Revathi’s body to Gandhi Hospital for post-mortem. A case has been registered,” the police official added.

A response from the theatre management team is awaited.