Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, on Saturday (December 14), reacted to the arrest of Telugu superstar Allu Arjun in connection with the death of a 35-year-old woman because of a stampede which took place at Sandhya Theatre during Pushpa 2: The Rule premiere. The actor was arrested on Friday from his residence and on the same day, he was granted bail by Telangana High Court.
After Allu Arjun walked out of jail on Saturday morning, Ram Gopal Varma took to his official X account to address his arrest. In his post, he asked four questions to the concerned authorities.
Defending the Pushpa actor, the filmmaker wrote, “In the arrest case of @alluarjun I have these 4 questions to the concerned authorities – 1) In case of stampedes at places like kumbh melas or brahmostavas, will Gods be arrested? 2) In case of stampede deaths at political meetings or rallies, will political leaders be arrested.”
He further asked, “3) In case of stampede deaths at public film events , will the heros and heroines be arrested ? 4) Except for police and organisers, who else can possibly control stampedes?”
On December 9, the Rangeela director had stated that Allu Arjun should not be blamed for the stampede. For those unversed, a 35-year-old woman died and her son was injured in the incident.
Varma had stated that stampedes happen when a huge crowd gathers to get a glimpse of celebrities. He also said that police should not have given permission for the event if they knew the actor would attract thousands of people at the venue.
He also said that such special shows should not be banned. He also questioned why political rallies and not banned after people die in stampedes.
Allu Arjun addressed the media and assured fans of his well-being after walking out of the jail on Saturday morning.
“I am fine, and fans don’t need to worry about me. I respect the law and the judicial process. The case is under the court’s jurisdiction, so I cannot comment further at this stage. I deeply respect the court’s proceedings. I thank everyone for the love and support. I want to thank all my fans. I am a law-abiding citizen and will cooperate. I would like to once again express my condolences to the family. It was an unfortunate incident. We are sorry for what happened,” he said.
Earlier, Allu Arjun expressed his condolences over the death of the woman at Sandhya Theatre due to the stampede. He also announced an assistance of Rs 25 lakh to help the bereaved family.
He said in the video, “We extend our deepest condolences to the family. We understand that no words or actions can ever compensate for the loss you are bearing. I would like to extend financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh to the family as a goodwill gesture… we will also take care of the medical expenses.”
