Hyderabad, 5 Dec

A woman died and her son was hospitalised due to asphyxiation as crowds "jostled" at a film theatre here during the premiere show of actor Allu Arjun's 'Pushpa 2: The Rule', police said on Thursday.

The incident took place on Wednesday night when a large number of fans thronged the cinema hall to have a glimpse of the actor, they said.

The woman's husband told a news channel that there was a heavy crowd at the film theatre in view of Allu Arjun's visit and a stampede-like situation prevailed.  Expressing anguish, he quoted doctors as saying that the condition of his son would be known only after 48 hours.

There were no arrangements by the theatre management or prior information about the arrival of the actor and other members of the film, police said.

A heavy crowd rushed ahead and the woman and her son, who were trying to enter inside the theatre, suffocated and fell unconscious apparently after being pushed by the crowd, police said, based on preliminary investigation.

A police official pointed out that the theatre was small, and it could not accommodate such a massive crowd.

Police personnel conducted Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) on the woman and her son and shifted them to a hospital, where the woman died and her son is undergoing treatment, a senior police official said.

To control the situation, police used mild force to disperse the surging crowd. A case has been booked in connection with the incident.