Key facts
- The stampede happened on 25 November 2023 at the open-air auditorium of CUSAT's School of Engineering, before a concert by singer Nikita Gandhi during the Dhishna tech fest.
- Four people died: CUSAT students Athul Thampi, Sara Thomas and Ann Rifta Roy, and Alwin from Palakkad, as reported by Onmanorama and others.
- Kerala's Health Minister said asphyxiation was the cause of death, according to The News Minute.
- A police action-taken report filed in the Kerala High Court in January 2024 listed ten reasons for the stampede, including lapses in planning, crowd management and security, and two locked gates.
- In January 2025 police filed a charge sheet at the Kalamassery magistrate court naming the then School of Engineering principal and two faculty members, charged with causing death by negligence.
What happened on 25 November 2023
Dhishna is the annual technical festival of the School of Engineering at Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), on the Kalamassery–Thrikkakara campus. On the evening of Saturday, 25 November 2023, students and visitors gathered at the school's open-air auditorium for a concert by the singer Nikita Gandhi. The auditorium's capacity was reported as 1,000 to 1,500 people. Police later estimated that about 4,000 were present.
As people pressed to enter, the crowd surged. Reports at the time pointed to entry through a single narrow gate, steep steps down into the auditorium, and a sudden rush when rain began. Four people died. The Wire reported 68 injured on the night; other reports gave figures between about 50 and 64. The State Health Minister, Veena George, said the cause of death was asphyxiation.
Those who died were three CUSAT students, Athul Thampi (23), Sara Thomas (19) and Ann Rifta Roy (20), and Alwin, a young man from Palakkad who had come to the campus. Their names were widely reported at the time, and we include them here in remembrance.
Timeline
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 25 November 2023 | Crowd surge at the School of Engineering open-air auditorium before the Dhishna concert; four people die | Onmanorama; The Wire |
| November 2023 | State government seeks inquiry reports from the Vice-Chancellor and the Principal Secretary, Higher Education | DT Next |
| 23 December 2023 | University Syndicate sub-committee submits its report listing lapses, without recommending action | The Hindu (via PressReader) |
| January 2024 | Police action-taken report in the High Court lists ten reasons for the stampede | Onmanorama |
| 26 March 2024 | The Hindu reports that responsibility had still not been fixed four months on | The Hindu (via PressReader) |
| January 2025 | Charge sheet filed at the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Kalamassery, against three people | Onmanorama, 19 January 2025 |
The inquiries
After the stampede, Higher Education Minister R. Bindu said the government had sought reports from the Vice-Chancellor and the Principal Secretary for Higher Education, DT Next reported, and the state said it would set up an expert panel. The university's own Syndicate sub-committee submitted its report on 23 December 2023. According to The Hindu, it listed lapses by the organising committee and the university administration, including a failure to assess the scale of the event, but did not recommend action against individuals.
The police inquiry went further. An action-taken report filed in the Kerala High Court in January 2024 gave ten reasons for the stampede. According to Onmanorama's summary, they included lapses in planning, management and security; the fact that police had not been informed of an event the organisers knew would draw a large crowd; restrictions on entry and exit that caused congestion; two auditorium gates being locked; and too few security staff for crowd management.
Hearing a petition seeking a judicial inquiry, the Kerala High Court said that the students who organised the fest should not be blamed, according to Bar & Bench. In March 2024 The Hindu reported that four months on, the authorities had yet to fix responsibility, with the university citing the pending case.
The charge sheet, January 2025
More than a year after the stampede, police filed a charge sheet at the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Kalamassery; Onmanorama reported it on 19 January 2025. It named three people: Dipak Kumar Sahoo, then principal of the School of Engineering, and two faculty members, Girish Kumaran Thampi and N. Biju, on charges of causing death by negligence. The investigating team was led by the Thrikkakara Assistant Commissioner of Police, Baby P. V., who said the probe had found severe lapses in crowd control and event management. The charge sheet included a Public Works Department structural study of the auditorium.
A charge sheet is an accusation, not a finding of guilt. As of October 2026 we found no report of a verdict, and the accused are presumed innocent unless a court decides otherwise.
What changed afterwards
The state government said at the time that it would review the standard operating procedures for large campus events and issue guidelines. We did not find a published, dated set of new rules for Kerala campus festivals or for Dhishna in particular, so we do not describe any. The criminal case, rather than a new rulebook, is the main public record of what followed.
For the university's longer story, see our CUSAT history timeline and the CUSAT metro station guide, and for the year as a whole, Kalamassery in 2023, a year that also saw the convention centre blast a month earlier.
Frequently asked questions
When did the CUSAT stampede happen?
On the evening of 25 November 2023, at the School of Engineering's open-air auditorium during the Dhishna tech fest.
How many people died?
Four: three CUSAT students and a young man from Palakkad. Reports of the number injured varied from about 50 to 68.
What did the police inquiry find?
A January 2024 action-taken report listed ten reasons, including lapses in planning and crowd management, police not being informed, restricted entry and exit, and two locked gates.
Has anyone been charged?
Yes. In January 2025 police charged the then School of Engineering principal and two faculty members with causing death by negligence. We found no verdict as of October 2026.
Were new rules issued for campus events?
The government said it would review procedures and issue guidelines, but we did not find a published, dated set of new rules.
Related guides
Sources
- Onmanorama: CUSAT stampede: police submit charge sheet (19 January 2025)
- The Wire: Kerala stampede: four dead, 68 injured
- The News Minute: CUSAT tragedy: asphyxiation cause of death, says Health Minister
- DT Next: Kerala govt seeks inquiry reports from Vice Chancellor, Principal Secretary
- The Hindu (PressReader): Four months on, authorities yet to fix responsibility for Cusat tragedy (26 March 2024)
- Bar & Bench: Don't blame students for CUSAT stampede: Kerala High Court
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Cite this guide: Ashraf Gents Hostel. “The CUSAT Stampede of November 2023: What Happened and What Changed.” Published 8 October 2026. https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/cusat-stampede-november-2023/ Plain-text (Markdown) version · quoting with a link back is welcome.