Stones pelted and tomatoes thrown: How protests at ‘Pushpa’ actor Allu Arjun’s Hyderabad home unfolded

Tensions for Tollywood star Allu Arjun are not ending.

Several Osmania University members stormed into his residence in Hyderabad’s Jubilee Hills on Sunday afternoon, causing damage.

The protest against the Telugu actor followed the tragic death of a woman in a stampede at the Sandhya theatre during the premiere of his latest film, Pushpa 2.

Here’s what happened.

The stone-pelting attack

The protesters on Sunday pelted stones, threw tomatoes, held placards and staged a protest against Allu Arjun .

According to a press release from the police, one of the protesters who showed up at the actor’s residence climbed the complex wall and began hurling tomatoes. According to the release, they manhandled the security staff and damaged some flower pots after they were told to get themselves down from the wall.

The intruders also raised slogans against the actor and sought justice for the woman who died in the Sandhya Theatre stampede earlier this month.

In the visuals, a few people were seen breaking into the actor’s home and damaging the property. Outside of Allu Arjun’s home, several protesters were seen burning his effigy in another video.

Notably, when the incident happened, the actor was not at his house.

Six protesters, allegedly from the Osmania University Joint Action Committee (OUJAC), were calling for the victim’s family to receive Rs 1 crore in compensation.

A case has been registered against the six and a few others who were involved in the vandalism.

According to protester’s pictures that went viral on social media, Congress is accused of planning the attack on Allu Arjun’s home.

Srinivas Reddy, the president of the Kodangal Youth Congress and one of the accused in the vandalism incident, reportedly spearheaded the protests. He was pictured with Chief Minister Reddy earlier. Revanth Reddy’s constituency is Kodangal.

Allu Arjun’s statement

Allu Arjun issued a statement responding to the attack, urging fans to act responsibly.

He said, “I appeal to all my fans to express their feelings responsibly, as always and not resort to any kind of abusive language or behaviour both online and offline. Misrepresentating as my fans with fake IDs and fake profiles, if someone indulges in abusive posts, strong action will be taken against them. I request the fans to not engage with such posts.”

In response to the stone-pelting attack, Allu Aravind, Allu Arjun’s father, stated that such occurrences should not be encouraged.

While speaking to the press at the home he shared with Allu Arjun, Allu Aravind said, “Everyone has seen what happened at our house today. But it is time for us to act accordingly. Now is not the right time for us to react to anything.”

“The police are ready to take away anyone else who comes here to create a ruckus. No one should encourage incidents like these. But I will not react just because the media is here. Now is the time to practice restraint. The law will take its own course,” he concluded.

Condemnation

Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy condemned the incident at the actor’s home and directed the city police commissioner and the state DGP to take tough measures against the protesters.

“I condemn the attack on the homes of film celebrities. I order the state DGP and the city police commissioner to take strict action in the matter of law and order. No laxity will be tolerated in this matter. Senior officials should take precautions to ensure that police personnel who are not involved in the Sandhya Theatre incident do not respond,” he said in a post on X.

G Kishan Reddy, a BJP leader and union minister, denounced the pelting stones incident at the actor’s home and claimed that it demonstrated Telangana’s law and order shortcomings under the Congress administration.

“The incident of stone pelting at actor Allu Arjun’s residence in Hyderabad highlights the shocking failure of law and order under the Congress government in the state. Incidents reflect the administration’s inability to protect and ensure the safety and security of citizens. Targeting of artists and the cine industry has become a dangerous norm under the Congress government in Telangana. Is this Congress supported/sponsored?” he said in a post on X.

Sandhya Theatre stampede

A woman lost her life in a tragic incident that occurred at the Pushpa 2 screening at Hyderabad’s Sandhya Theatre on December 4.

The mayhem started when huge crowds arrived to see Allu Arjun, who was there with Devi Sri Prasad, the music director and a stampede ensued as the theatre’s main gate collapsed. The 35-year-old woman was killed, and her nine-year-old son sustained severe injuries.

The actor was arrested and sent to 14 days of judicial custody by a local court on December 13. However, the Telangana High Court granted him interim bail the same day. He was released from prison on December 14. He was booked under Sections 105 (criminal negligence) and 118(1) (voluntarily causing hurt) of the BNS Act.

Later, the deceased woman’s husband had said that he was willing to withdraw the case. He said in a statement that he did not blame Allu Arjun for his wife’s death in the stampede.

“I am ready to withdraw the case. I was not aware of the arrest and Allu Arjun has nothing to do with the stampede in which my wife passed away,” he had said.

Chaos in the Assembly  

The controversy escalated after Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy alleged that Allu Arjun went to the theatre during the film’s screening despite being denied police permission.  Reddy added that even after the woman was killed in the stampede, the actor refused to leave the theatre, thus the police had to eject him.

Additionally, he criticised the actor for organising a roadshow and waving at the crowd with co-star Rashmika Mandanna despite the large crowd, which put everyone at risk of a stampede.

After the criticism, Allu Arjun swiftly organised a press conference to refute the allegations and claimed that police helped him get to the location. He also vehemently denied allegations that he was engaging people or running a roadshow.

“Had there not been permission, they would have told us to return and I am a law-abiding citizen. I would’ve followed that. Nothing of that sort of information was given to me. I was following as per their guidance and it was not a roadshow. There was no procession. It was just a crowd a few metres away from the theatres,” he said, adding it was the police who were clearing the way for him and he reached the venue under their directions.

He stated that he could not meet the family since he was unaware of the stampede incident and only learnt about it the following morning when the case was filed against him. Additionally, he offered the victim’s family his regrets for the “unfortunate situation.”

Allu Arjun’s claim was denied by previous Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Ramesh, who stated that the actor was informed of the stampede while he was seeing the movie.

With inputs from agencies