'Law is equal for all': Pawan Kayan on Allu Arjun's arrest in theatre stampede case

Kalyan, leader of NDA ally Janasena Party, praised Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy as a "great leader" and suggested someone, on behalf of Allu Arjun, should have visited the family of the woman killed in the stampede earlier.

Speaking to reporters in an informal interaction at Mangalagiri, Kalyan shared his opinion on Hyderabad's Sandhya Theatre stampede situation that occurred on December 4.

The stampede occurred when Allu Arjun visited the theatre where his movie Pushpa 2 was being screened and it led to chaos.

A 35-year-old woman, Revathi, died in the incident and her son was injured. Soon after, Hyderabad police registered a case against Allu Arjun following which he was arrested and granted bail shortly after.

On Monday, Kalyan said it was important for law enforcement authorities to prioritise public safety.

"The law is equal for all, and I do not blame the police in such incidents, they act with public safety in mind. That said, the theater staff should have informed Allu Arjun earlier about any issues. Once he sat in the seat, they should have instructed him to vacate it if necessary."

Kalyan is related to Allu Arjun. Allu Arjun's aunt Surekha is married to renowned actor Chiranjeevi, Pawan Kalyan's elder brother.

“It would have been better if someone had visited the victim's family earlier on behalf of Allu Arjun. Revathi's death in this incident has deeply shocked me. They turned what was already lost into an even greater tragedy. We should have conveyed earlier that we are all here to support the family. There should have been a sense of regret for the mistake, even if it happened without their direct involvement.

"There is a clear lack of humanity in this matter. Everyone should have gone to Revathi's house to offer reassurance and condolences. The people's anger stems from the absence of such a gesture. Arjun, too, feels the pain of knowing that someone lost their life because of this incident,” Kalyan said.

However, he said it is wrong to solely blame Allu Arjun for the incident.

Following the incident, Allu Arjun has been receiving a lot of flak from political leaders.

A group of people, who claimed themselves to be students of Osmania University, had even barged into his house in Hyderabad and damaged it.

They reportedly entered the house of the actor during the protest and demanded one crore as compensation to the family of the woman.