Pushpa 2 premiere show stampede: NHRC asks Hyderabad police to explain what led to woman’s death

Hyderabad: The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sought a detailed explanation from Hyderabad police commissioner CV Anand over the tragic death of a 35-year-old woman, Revathi, in the stampede that occurred during the premiere of the Pushpa 2 movie on December 4, 2024.

The event, featuring popular actor Allu Arjun, reportedly drew a large crowd despite lacking official permission, raising serious concerns about crowd control and police inaction.

Who is to blame for the stampede?

According to the original complaint filed on December 5, 2024, Revathi lost her life, and her two children were injured due to a lathi charge allegedly carried out by police personnel from Chikkadpally police station. The complainant claimed that the police, who were present for crowd management, resorted to excessive force without making adequate arrangements, leading to chaos and a deadly stampede.

In response, the Additional Commissioner of Police (Law & Order), Hyderabad, submitted an Action Taken Report (ATR) on March 20, 2025. The report denied the occurrence of any lathi charge and argued that the incident was primarily the result of mismanagement by the Sandhya theatre and the organisers, given that the event had no official permission. It further alleged that the complaint was intended to shift blame from the event organisers to the police.

‘Police failed to take preventive legal action’

Despite the denial of allegations, the NHRC expressed dissatisfaction with the explanation.

In an order dated May 2, the commission pointed out that while the police had denied permission for the event, they failed to take preventive legal action against the film’s promoters and theatre management for conducting an unlawful gathering.

The commission noted that the police should have foreseen the risks involved and taken proactive steps to avoid the tragedy.

“There must have been compelling reasons for denying permission in the first place. If the risks were foreseeable, the police had a responsibility to prevent the gathering and enforce the law. Instead, they allowed the situation to spiral into a tragedy,” the commission said.

The NHRC has directed the Hyderabad Police Commissioner to submit an additional report within six weeks, addressing the lapses in preventive measures and clarifying whether any warnings or actions were taken to stop the event before the fatal incident occurred.

Meanwhile, several other complaints related to the incident have been received from individuals, including Sujatha Eslavath, Suresh Babu and Rachala Yugander Goud, indicating growing public concern over the handling of the event.

As the investigation continues, the case highlights a critical lapse in coordination and enforcement, raising uncomfortable questions about accountability in crowd management at high-profile public events.