HYDERABAD: A group of people, claiming to be members of OU JAC, raised slogans against Pushpa 2: The Rule actor Allu Arjun and vandalised flower pots at his residence on Sunday. A case was registered and six persons were taken into custody.
The group tried to force entry into the actor's house, demanding one crore in compensation for the family of a 35-year-old woman who died on December 4 in a stampede at a Hyderabad cinema hall during the premiere of his film Pushpa 2: The Rule.
Police detained the protesters, who left behind a placard stating that while crores are earned from films, audiences are losing their lives.
Taking to X, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said he condemned the attack on cine personalities. “I am directing the State DGP and City Police Commissioner to take strict action regarding law and order. No laxity will be tolerated in this regard,” he said.
The police said on Sunday, around 4.45 pm, a few persons holding placards rushed to the residence of Allu Arjun in Jubilee Hills and raising slogans. One of them climbed the compound wall and started to throw tomatoes.
According to a PTI report, Police said that Allu Arjun was not at home when the incident happened. Police security is being provided at the actor's residence in the wake of the vandalism, they said.
Allu Arjun's father and veteran producer Allu Aravind said they would like to observe restraint and that law will take its own course.
"You have seen what happened outside our house. But, this is time for us to observe restraint. We should not react to all this at present. Police came and took them away. They filed a case. Police are ready to take away if anyone comes here to cause any trouble. No one should encourage this type of incidents. We will not react to this. Law will take its own course," he told reporters.
The OU-JAC previously played a key role in the Telangana statehood agitation.
It was not confirmed if Allu Arjun was present at his residence when the incident occurred.
The incident occurred shortly after the Telugu cinema star urged his fans to avoid abusive language and behaviour, both online and offline, following fresh allegations against him in the stampede case.
The woman, identified as Revathi, 35, died in the stampede, while her eight-year-old son sustained injuries and is receiving treatment at a private super-speciality hospital in Hyderabad.
Public outrage against the "Pushpa" actor intensified after Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy alleged that he attended the theatre screening despite being denied police permission—a claim Allu Arjun refuted.
“There is a lot of misinformation that I behaved irresponsibly. These allegations are false, humiliating, and amount to character assassination,” the actor said during a press conference on December 21.
Allu Arjun was arrested by Hyderabad Police following the incident but secured four-week interim bail from the Telangana High Court the same day. A case has been filed against him, his security team, and the theatre management under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).
BJP leader Amit Malviya has said Allu Arjun was being targeted and accused "state-sponsored terrorism," claiming the actor was being attacked for refusing to campaign for the Congress.
"Stone pelted on National Award winning actor Allu Arjun’s house. This is state-sponsored terrorism. The Congress is targeting Allu Arjun because he refused to campaign for them. He was earlier arrested in haste for a crime he didn’t commit," Malviya posted on X.
BRS leader KT Rama Rao (KTR) also condemned the action against Arjun, calling it a reflection of the "insecurity of the rulers."
"Arrest of National Award winning star Allu Arjun is the pinnacle of insecurity of the rulers! I totally sympathize with the victims of the stampede but who failed really? Treating Allu Arjun Garu as a common criminal is uncalled for, especially for something he isn’t directly responsible for," KTR stated.
"There is always space for respect and dignified conduct. I strongly condemn the high-handed behaviour of the government. Going by the same perverse logic, Revanth Reddy should be arrested for causing the death of two innocent people who died in Hyderabad because of the fear psychosis caused by Hydra," he added.
