His favourite actor Allu Arjun beside him, 9-year-old injured in stampede remains unconscious

After Arjun’s visit, Dr Chetan R Mundada and Dr Vishnu Tej Pudi, who are treating the boy, said he is maintaining vital parameters well without extraneous support. “He has remained afebrile for the last few days; his antibiotics have been stopped. He continues to tolerate nasogastric feeds well. He is receiving supportive therapies. His agitative episodes and dystonia have reduced but are still present. His sensorium remains the same with intermittent spontaneous eye opening and crying without meaningful eye contact or consistent response to verbal stimuli,” they said in a statement.

Arjun spent about 10 minutes with the boy’s father, M Bhasker, asking him about the boy’s condition and expressing condolences about his wife. Bhasker informed him that his recovery was very slow.

Arjun assured Bhasker of providing any help as and when required. Bhasker had earlier said that his son became a fan of Arjun after watching the first part of the movie and would often refer to himself as “Pushpa the fire” while mimicking Arjun at home. The boy was unconscious when his favourite film star visited him.

This was Arjun’s second attempt to visit the boy after his first attempt on January 5 had to be cancelled because the police asked him to reconsider his decision. The SHO of Ramgopalpet police station had issued a notice to Arjun, highlighting “heightened public interest in this matter and to ensure minimal disruption to the hospital’s operations and other patients.”

The police informed Arjun that his team should coordinate with the hospital authorities and the police before he visits so that his entry and exit are done without inconveniencing anyone. “We advise maintaining the confidentiality of your visit to prevent any gathering of public or media at the premises which could disturb the peaceful environs of the hospital,” the notice stated.

The notice also cautioned the actor that he would be held responsible if any untoward incident occurred. On January 6, the police issued another notice to Arjun that officials from Ramgopalpet police station would make all arrangements for his visit to the hospital.