Union Minister of State for Home, Bandi Sanjay Kumar calling on the family members of Sai Tej, who was injured in the Sandhya theatre stampede. Photo: Arrangement

Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar expressed dismay at the events unfolding over the stampede at the Sandhya theatre resulting in the death of a woman and actor Allu Arjun’s arrest.

Mr. Sanjay, who visited Sai Tej, the child who was injured in the stampede and recovering at a private hospital, consoled the family members. He said the entire episode has taken a different colour with the government targeting the actor, and that sent a wrong signal to the film industry. He said such an attitude would harm the industry.

He urged people and the parties not to politicise the issue but to take steps to infuse some calmness into the episode in the interests of the State. He argued that Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s comments in the Assembly also sent a wrong signal to the industry and urged him not to fall in the trap of AIMIM. The BRS sailed with AIMIM and lost public sympathy and the Congress would face the same situation if it continued its friendship with the AIMIM, he argued.