One killed, three others injured in police firing in Sasaram after clash with youths

Hyderabad, Dec 14 (IANS) Popular Tollywood actor Allu Arjun stepped out of Chanchalguda Central Jail here on Saturday morning after spending the night in the prison in the case relating to a stampede at a theatre during the premier show of ‘Pushpa 2: The Rule’.

The actor, who was granted interim bail by Telangana High Court on Friday evening an hour after a lower court sent him to judicial custody for 14 days, had to spend the night in the jail due to delay in the prison authorities receiving bail orders.

The prison authorities released the national award-winning actor from the rear gate of the jail. He was sent in an escort vehicle.

The actor drove straight to the office of Geeta Arts. He will arrive at his residence in Jubilee Hills later.

Police have made tight security arrangements around his residence.

Earlier, there was suspense on Friday night over his release.

Jail authorities said they received the bail order late in the night and since the prisoners can’t be released during night hours as per the prison manual, the actor would be released next morning.

Allu Arjun spent the night in Manjeera block as a special class status given by the Nampally Court that remanded him on Friday.

A large number of fans of the actor remained outside the jail till late in the night waiting for his release.

Allu Arjun’s lawyers submitted a personal bond of Rs 50,000 to Jail Superintendent as per the direction of the High Court.

While granting interim bail for four weeks, the High Court had directed police to continue the investigation.

It also directed the actor to cooperate in the investigation.

A woman died and her son was critically injured during the stampede at Sandhya Theatre during the premier show attended by Allu Arjun on December 4.

Police had registered a case under Sections 105 (Culpable homicide not amounting to murder), 118(1) (Voluntarily causing hurt) r/w 3(5) BNS against Allu Arjun, his security team and the management of the theatre.

The interim bail capped the day-long dramatic developments that began on Friday morning with the actor’s arrest from his residence in Jubilee Hills.

The bail orders came in the evening, barely an hour after a city court sent Allu Arjun to judicial custody for 14 days.

The High Court gave interim bail for four weeks during the hearing of the quash petition filed by the actor.

The pan-India actor received the respite even as the police were shifting him to Chanchalguda Jail from Nampally Criminal Court Complex.

The High Court also granted interim bail to three members of the theatre management who were arrested earlier in the case.

The Public Prosecutor raised an objection to the interim bail. The court adjourned further hearing to December 21.

During the hearing on quashing the petition, Allu Arjun’s counsel argued that BNS Section 105 does not apply to him as he had nothing to do with the stampede.

S. Niranjan Reddy argued that the actor can’t be held responsible for the stampede. He also informed the court that the theatre management and producer had informed the police in advance about Allu Arjun’s visit.

Niranjan Reddy cited the case of the 2017 stampede at Vadodara Railway Station during actor Shah Rukh Khan’s train journey from Mumbai to Delhi to promote his movie ‘Raees’.

The Gujarat High Court had quashed the complaint filed against Shah Rukh Khan for the stampede, which had killed one person and injured several others.

The Supreme Court later upheld the High Court order.

The Public Prosecutor told the court that Allu Arjun visited the theatre despite a request by police not to come, in view of the possibility of a huge gathering.

The court was informed that the actor reached the theatre in a rally. The police, which arrested the national award-winning actor from his residence in Hyderabad, produced him before a magistrate at the Nampally Criminal Court complex. He was named accused number 11 in the case.

Earlier, police recorded the statement of the actor at Chikkadpally Police Station. He was then taken to Gandhi Hospital for a medical check-up.

–IANS

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Bhopal, Dec 12 (IANS) To encourage sarpanchs (panchayat heads) to make their gram panchayats dispute-free across the state, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav has announced an incentive of Rs 5 lakh, adding that dispute-free villages will be selected under ‘Vrindavan Gram Yojana’ by the state government.

CM Yadav advised them to keep an eye on every single incident within their respective gram panchayats.

The BJP-led Madhya government has introduced the ‘Vrindavan Gram Yojana’ to transform selected villages into model villages with a focus on cow conservation, rural development, and an increase in milk production.

Under this initiative, a cow shelter will be established in every selected village.

CM Yadav made this announcement during a virtual interaction with sarpanchs of his Assembly constituency of Ujjain South on Thursday.

This interactive session was held under the ‘Jan Kalyan Parv’ campaign launched on the completion of one year of CM Yadav-led government in Madhya Pradesh.

The Chief Minister suggested that a list of unemployed men and women should be made in all gram panchayats.

They should also interact with the beneficiaries and solve their problems within a prescribed time period, CM Yadav said.

He also asked them to keep updated information related to progressive farmers, education of men and women, employment, information of meritorious children, hospitals, schools, area of ​​land, and crops.

During a discussion with gram panchayat heads, CM Yadav also suggested that a mass marriage should be organised on a large scale during the upcoming Basant Panchami.

“People should be made aware that they should not waste unnecessary money on marriages and funerals, but rather use them for the education of their children,” the Chief Minister added.

CM Mohan Yadav-led BJP government, which returned to power in the state after winning the Assembly election held in November 2023, will complete one year in office on December 13.

Therefore, CM Yadav has launched a ‘Jan Kalyan Parv’ to highlight the achievements of his government in the first year of its five-year term.

Mohan Yadav, a three-time MLA from Ujjain South Assembly constituency, had taken oath as Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh on December 13 along with two Deputy Chief Ministers — Rajendra Shukla and Jagdish Devda.

–IANS

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Paris, Dec 15 (IANS) Cyclone Chido, which slammed into the island of Mayotte on Saturday, has killed at least 14 people and caused immense damage to the island, French media reported on Sunday.

According to Ambdilwahedou Soumaila, the mayor of Mamoudzou, the capital of Mayotte, nine people were treated in critical condition and 246 in less severe condition at the Mayotte Hospital Center, Xinhua news agency reported.

“The roads are completely cut, and it is almost impossible to pass … We will need water and food, and they will have to be transported,” he told local media.

In a statement, the prefect of Reunion, where most of the reinforcements are being coordinated, said that “other resources will follow during the week, which could amount to a total of 700 civil security personnel.”

French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau is scheduled to visit Mayotte this evening. Following an interministerial crisis meeting, he said it “will probably take days” to “refine” the exact human toll.

Located in the northern Mozambique Channel of the Indian Ocean, Mayotte is an overseas department and region and single territorial collectivity of France. It lies off the southeastern coast of Africa between northwestern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique.

–IANS

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