young survivors struggle – A year after the stampede at the evening theater in RTC Speaking to The Hindu, a family member said that despite round-the-clock care, the victim’s progress had been extremely slow. “He is unable to talk, eat or drink on his own and sometimes even has difficulty breathing,” the relative said, describing a year filled with uncertainty and immense emotional stress. Sretej, who was eight years old at the time of the incident, suffered severe brain injury and the supply of oxygen to his brain was cut off during the stampede.
Doctors say the damage was extensive, and its recovery depends on the brain gradually regaining the ability to interpret signals. After being admitted to KIMS Hospital, Secunderabad, in a semi-conscious state with dangerously low oxygen saturation on the night of December 4, 2024, he was immediately intubated and put on ventilator support in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit.
He stayed there for more than four months before being discharged on April 29, 2025, and moved to a neuro-rehabilitation facility for long-term treatment. The past year felt steeped in sorrow for the family.
Sretej’s mother M. Revathi, 35, died in the stampede. She, her husband Bhaskar and their two children went to the screening as Sritej was an ardent fan of Allu Arjun, an outing that turned into a disaster.
“Life has not progressed at all for us. We have lost him and now he is fighting every day,” the family member said.
The financial burden has been equally crushing. According to Sretej’s father, Magudampalli Bhaskar, apart from additional expenses, the family needs around ₹90,000 for treatment every month.
He said, “Treatment is expensive, and we need more help. We reached out to representatives of the film industry about 15 days ago, but did not hear from them. Today we finally got a call from the industry and they said they would cooperate.
” Mr. Bhaskar is now raising his son, daughter and elderly mother alone, coping with both the death of his wife and the constant demands of long-term care. Chikkadpally police had registered a case against actor Allu Arjun, his personal security staff and the management of Sandhya Theatre, the investigation of which is still ongoing.