Mother Dies, Son Critical After Stampede During Pushpa-2 Premiere

Hyderabad: In a tragic incident, a 39-year-old woman died on the spot while her nine-year-old son suffered critical internal injuries in a stampede at a Sandhya theatre prior to the release of `Pushpa-2` premier show around 9.40 pm on Wednesday.

The victim Revathi, her husband M. Bhaskar, son Sai Tej and eight year-old daughter M. Sangvika were in the queue when tragedy struck.

“We were all waiting in the queue to go into the theatre when all of a sudden hundreds of fans rushed through the gate. I panicked and carried Sangvika in my arms. I saw my wife holding Tej,” Bhaskar told Deccan Chronicle.

“She lost the grip of my son due to the unruly mob. I was told that the film’s hero Allu Arjun had entered the theatre, which caused a furore”, Bhaskar said.

“I saw a kid lying unconscious. I and constable Anjaneyulu immediately carried the kid in an open space before the theatre canteen. We performed CPR and he regained consciousness. We rushed him to a private hospital”, L. Monika, sub-inspector of Chilladpally police said.

“We first rushed them to Durga Bai Deshmukh hospital where Revathi was declared dead and shifted Tej to KIMS”, she said.

“There were over 2,000 people around the theatre and they were blocking the entire junction due to which we restored to lathi-charge”, a police officer on bandobast duty said.

Bhaskar, who works in a jewellery shop at Abids, is a resident of Shalivahana nagar Dilsukhnagar. Taj is a class IX student of Goutam Model school in LB Nagar and Sangvika is a class VII.

Meanwhile, KIMS hospital in a press release stated that Tej was brought to the ER in a semi-conscious state. Prompt CPR provided by bystanders and the police was instrumental in reviving the child, enabling further medical intervention, the release said.