The arrest of Telugu film actor Allu Arjun for the death of a woman — caused due to asphyxiation during a benefit show for the newly-released movie Pushpa 2: The Rule — highlights the need for framing rules to manage mega-events involving huge crowds. While the death of the woman and the near-death scenario of her nine-year-old son are unfortunate, the tragedy calls for a dispassionate analysis to pinpoint its causes.
Three entities emerge — Sandhya Theatre which organised the show, the police who were responsible for law and order and Allu Arjun who pulled in crowds.
In Sushil Ansal vs Central Bureau of Investigation following the Uphaar Cinema fire, the Supreme Court referred to Section 12 of the Cinematograph Act, 1952, which regulates exhibition of films, to talk about the responsibility of the theatre to take adequate precautions for the safety of those attending exhibitions therein. It was, therefore, Sandhya Theatre’s responsibility to make necessary arrangements for crowd management as the accident happened inside the theatre, instead of washing its hands of that job by merely informing the police department about the show.
But the overall responsibility to maintain law and order lay with the police department. As there were three benefit shows in close proximity, the police should have made a proper law and order assessment. If the crowd was bigger than anticipated, they should have called in reinforcements. Had there been a stampede in the area which had around 3,000 people, it could have led to many more casualties. That, thankfully, did not occur.
According to government officials, Arjun precipitated the crisis by waving to the crowd while entering the theatre. It is accepted practice for actors to greet their fans and he, too, followed that tradition without realising the gravity of the situation. Nevertheless, actors, too, should behave responsibly rather than stoking mass hysteria with their actions.
As fixing responsibility on anyone is difficult, it is high time the state government frames clear guidelines for organisers who host major events for crowd management and the security of attendees.
