Sandhya Theatre gets show cause notice; asked to explain why its license shouldn’t be revoked
Although Sandhya Theatre management received a two-page show-cause notice on December 12, it came to light on Tuesday
By Sistla Dakshina Murthy Published on 17 Dec 2024 2:37 PM GMT
Sandhya Theatre (File Photo)
Hyderabad: The Hyderabad City Police issued a show cause notice to Sandhya Theatre at RTC X Roads over lapses leading to the tragic death of a woman during the premiere of Pushpa 2 The Rule movie on December 4.
Although Sandhya Theatre management received a two-page show-cause notice on December 12, it came to light on Tuesday. The notice, issued by Hyderabad Commissioner of Police CV Anand draws attention to the theatre’s inability to control crowds, which unfortunately led to a 35-year-old woman's death and left her 9-year-old son in critical condition.
‘Theatre did not plan entry, exit and seating arrangements for lead actors’
In the two-page notice, issued by C V Anand, the police said, "The infrastructure of the theatre was not satisfactory and the lower balcony entry grill gate was not manned property to withstand the public flow and got damaged due to overcrowding. The management of the theatre failed to inform the local police about the arrival of the actor Allu Arjun at the theatre. They also did not plan any entry, exit and seating plan for the film's lead actors despite knowing that they would attract huge public attention.”
"The management also allowed the movie makers to install the truss and lighting at the theatre premises which caused a large gathering of the public. The management at the time of the arrival of the actor Allu Arjun allowed his private security also to enter the theatre along with him, which caused inconvenience to the public and these security personnel blocked the free passage between the seats which was meant for the movement of the public. There was no proper system to check the tickets which allowed unauthorized entry and overcrowding inside the theatre which created suffocation inside the theatre,” the Hyderabad police said.
What happened at Sandhya theatre during Pushpa’s screening?
On December 4, at about 9.30 pm, actor Allu Arjun along with his family and the lead actress of the movie came to Sandhya 70MM theatre with his personal security and all the people gathered there tried to enter the theatre with them. The personal security team of the actor started pushing the public which further aggravated the situation as there was already a huge gathering at the theatre.
Taking advantage of this situation, a large number of people along with the actor and his security team entered inside the lower balcony area of the theatre. There were no personnel to check whether the people entering the theatre had valid tickets or not. Therefore, a woman Mogudampalli Revathi, (35) wife of Bhaskar and resident of Shalivahana Nagar in Dilsukhnagar and her son Sri Tej, (9) felt suffocated due to the large public influx.
Immediately the police personnel, who were on duty pulled them out of the public from the lower balcony and a Sub-Inspector of Police L Mounika along with constable Anjaneyulu performed CPR on both of them and immediately shifted them to the nearby Durgabai Deshmukh Hospital. However, the doctor said Revathi was brought dead and her son Sri Tej was advised to be shifted to another hospital for better treatment. Immediately the boy was shifted to KIMS Hospital, Secunderabad.
Based on the incident and complaint of M Bhaskar, a case under Section 105 and 118 (1) read with 3(5) BNS Act was registered at Chikkadpally police station. After the incident, the police also found the following lapses in the management of Sandhya 70MM theatre: Sandhya 70MM and Sandhya 35MM Theatres are located on the same premises and have a common main entry and exit. Both theatres have a combined seating capacity of about 2,520 persons. There were no proper sign boards displaying entry and exit to guide the public who were coming to watch the movie.
The management also encouraged the gathering of fans by erecting large flexes outside the theatre illegally without prior permission. The infrastructure of the theatre was not satisfactory and the lower balcony entry grill gate was not manned properly to withstand the public flow and got damaged due to overcrowding. The theatre management failed to inform the local police about the arrival of Allu Arjun at the theatre. They also did not plan any entry and exit and seating plans for films with lead actors despite knowing that they would attract huge public attention.
These security personnel blocked the free passage between the seats which was meant for movement of the public. There was only one door frame metal detector (DFMD) at the entry and no curtain for frisking women. Also, the public was not asked to pass through the DFMD.
The CP has also directed Renuka Devi, the licensee of Sandhya 70MM Theatre, to explain why the Cinematograph Licence granted under Form-B should not be cancelled for failing to provide a safe and secure environment. The theatre management has been given 10 days to respond to the show cause notice. A copy of the notice was pasted on the premises of the theatre as well.
