Hyderabad, Dec 17 (NationPress) On Tuesday, the police in Hyderabad issued a show cause notice to Sandhya 70MM Theatre, demanding an explanation on why its license should not be revoked following negligence that resulted in the death of a woman during the premiere of 'Pushpa 2: The Rule'.

Police Commissioner C. V. Anand directed the theatre management after significant lapses were noted, which led to a stampede during the premiere screening on December 4.

The notice emphasizes the theatre's failure to manage crowd control, which sadly resulted in the death of a woman and left her 9-year-old son in critical condition.

The Police Commissioner has instructed Renuka Devi, the licensee of Sandhya 70MM Theatre, to clarify why the cinematograph license awarded should not be revoked for failing to ensure a safe and secure environment.

The management of the theatre has been allotted 10 days to respond to the notice.

The document states that on December 4 around 9:40 p.m., a large crowd assembled at the theatre due to an unexpected visit from actor Allu Arjun and the film’s lead actress for the premiere.

According to the notice, there was no prior notification from the theatre management or the actor’s team regarding their visit. The theatre did not prepare for the crowd management. When the actor’s private security team began to push back the crowd, the situation became more chaotic.

A substantial number of attendees entered the lower balcony area along with the actor and his security personnel.

No staff were present to verify whether attendees had valid tickets.

Mogudampalli Revathi, 35, a resident of Dilsukhnagar, and her 9-year-old son Tej experienced suffocation due to the overwhelming crowd. Police officers on duty rescued them, administered CPR, and rushed them to Durgabai Deshmukh Hospital. Unfortunately, Revathi was pronounced dead, and her son was later transferred to KIMS Hospital for additional care, as mentioned in the notice.

A case has been filed at Chikkadpally Police Station under sections 105, 118(1) r/w 3(5) of the BNS Act.

Police arrested Allu Arjun on December 13, and a city court placed him in judicial custody for 14 days. However, the Telangana High Court granted him interim bail on the same day.

The actor, identified as accused number 11 in the case, was released from custody the following morning. Three other individuals implicated in the case and arrested earlier were also granted bail.

The notice asserts that the theatre management did not inform the police about the lead actors' arrival, even though it was anticipated to attract large crowds. Additional failures noted included inadequate security measures and crowd control strategies, such as having only a single DFMD at the entry point without proper frisking for women, insufficient signage for entry and exit that caused confusion, unauthorized setups of flexes, trusses, and lighting outside the theatre that encouraged large gatherings, poor infrastructure capable of withstanding crowd pressure, and lack of a ticket verification system that allowed unauthorized access and overcrowding.

The notice also points out inadequate parking arrangements and failures in managing crowds at the main entrances. Private security personnel were permitted to obstruct public pathways, exacerbating the situation.