HYDERABAD: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has found that the police were negligent in maintaining public order during a stampede at Sandhya Theatre on December 4, 2024, in which a woman named Revathi died during a screening of Pushpa 2: The Rule.
On Wednesday, the NHRC issued a show cause notice to the Chief Secretary, asking why it should not recommend a compensation of Rs 5 lakh to Revathi’s family.
The commission took up the matter following a complaint filed by advocate Rama Rao Immaneni. Since then, the Hyderabad police have submitted two reports to the NHRC. In its initial report, dated March 20, the Additional Commissioner of Police (Law & Order), stated that permission for actor Allu Arjun’s roadshow had been denied.
However, the report did not explain the grounds on which the permission was refused. A second report, submitted on July 14, clarified that permission had been granted for the pre-release screening of Pushpa 2 at Sandhya 70mm, Sandhya 35mm, Sudarshan 35mm and Devi 70mm theatres at RTC X Roads on December 4, 2024.
However, police denied permission for Allu Arjun’s visit to Sandhya 70mm, citing concerns over public safety and crowd management. The theatre management was reportedly informed in writing and advised to convey the same to the actor.