A woman named Revathi from Dilsukhnagar died of suffocation at the Sandhya 70mm theatre in RTC crossroads at 9:40 pm last night during the
Pushpa 2 premiere show.
A massive crowd had gathered to watch the much-anticipated movie and catch a glimpse of the film's lead actors visiting the theatre. However, the police claimed that there was no official communication from the theatre management or the actors' teams regarding their visit. The theatre management did not put in place additional security measures to manage the crowd, nor was there a separate entry or exit for the actors' team, despite the theatre's prior knowledge of their arrival, the police claimed.
Around 9:30 pm, actor Allu Arjun arrived at the theatre with his personal security, and started waving to the assembled crowd through the sun roof of his car, creating a frenzy that attracted crowds from even nearby theatres. The situation escalated as his security team began pushing back the public, aggravating the already chaotic scene. A large number of people also entered the lower balcony area along with Arjun, causing suffocation.
Revathi, 35, and her 13-year-old son Sri Tej were among those affected. Police personnel immediately pulled them out and performed CPR on her son before rushing both to the nearby Durgabai Deshmukh Hospital. The doctors there declared Revathi dead. Her son was shifted to a corporate hospital (KIMS) for further treatment.
Following the incident, a case was registered at the Chikkadapally police station based on a complaint by Revathi's family. An investigation is underway. The Hyderabad Central Zone DCP Akshansh Yadav said that stringent legal action would be taken against all the responsible parties for the chaotic situation at the theatre that led to the death and injuries.