# Kalamassery in 2023: The Year in Review

> 2023 was the hardest year in Kalamassery’s recent memory. Smoke from the Brahmapuram waste-yard fire hung over Kochi in March; in April the Water Metro opened; and within four weeks in the autumn the town saw the bomb blasts at the Zamra convention centre on 29 October and the stampede at CUSAT on 25 November. This review, written in October 2026, records what happened, what the official inquiries found and what changed, without graphic detail.

- URL: https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/kalamassery-in-2023/
- Publisher: Ashraf Gents Hostel, Ashraf house, NAD Rd, signal, Kalamassery, Aluva, Kerala 683563, India (+91 90746 23855)
- Published: 2026-10-08 · Updated: 2026-10-08
- Topic: History & archive
- Cite as: Ashraf Gents Hostel. “Kalamassery in 2023: The Year in Review.” Published 8 October 2026. https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/kalamassery-in-2023/

## Key facts

- A fire broke out at the Brahmapuram waste-treatment yard on 2 March 2023 and burned for about 12 days; the National Green Tribunal ordered the Kochi Corporation to pay ₹100 crore, LiveLaw and Onmanorama reported.
- Prime Minister Narendra Modi opened the Kochi Water Metro on 25 April 2023, according to Wikipedia.
- On 29 October 2023 IED blasts at a Jehovah’s Witnesses convention at Zamra International Convention Centre, Kalamassery, killed eight people according to Wikipedia’s final count and injured more than 50.
- On 25 November 2023 four people died and dozens were injured in a crush at a concert during the Dhishna tech fest at CUSAT; police filed a charge sheet in January 2025, Onmanorama reported.
- On 9 November 2023 the annual Chief Minister–Chief Justice meeting approved in principle the idea of a new High Court complex, later sited at Kalamassery, Onmanorama reported.

## The year at a glance

| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2 March 2023 | Fire breaks out at the Brahmapuram waste yard; burns for about 12 days | LiveLaw; Onmanorama |
| 7 March 2023 | Kerala High Court likens the smoke situation to a gas chamber | Onmanorama; The South First |
| 15 March 2023 | Chief Minister announces a three-tier probe | The South First |
| 17–18 March 2023 | NGT orders the Kochi Corporation to pay ₹100 crore | LiveLaw; Onmanorama |
| 25 April 2023 | Kochi Water Metro opened by the Prime Minister | Wikipedia |
| 29 October 2023 | IED blasts at the Zamra convention centre, Kalamassery | Wikipedia |
| 9 November 2023 | CM–Chief Justice meeting backs a new High Court complex | Onmanorama |
| 25 November 2023 | Crush at the Dhishna fest concert, CUSAT; four deaths | The News Minute; Onmanorama |
| 4 December 2023 | State approves ₹378 crore for the metro’s Kakkanad phase | Wikipedia |
| 9 December 2023 | Amended municipal law on waste penalties deemed in force | PRS India; Onmanorama |
| 23 December 2023 | CUSAT Syndicate sub-committee submits its report | The News Minute |

Sources give 17 March or 18 March for the NGT order; we show both. The Keraleeyam festival of November 2023 is covered separately in [Keraleeyam 2023](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/keraleeyam-2023-and-kerala-piravi-events/).

## March: the Brahmapuram fire

Brahmapuram, Kochi’s main waste yard, is south-east of Kalamassery, but the smoke from the fire that began on **2 March 2023** spread across much of the city. Reports describe it burning for about 12 days. The Kerala High Court said on 7 March that it had left Kochi in a ‘gas chamber’-like situation, and on 15 March the Chief Minister announced a three-tier probe. The National Green Tribunal held the state and the corporation responsible for the failure to manage waste and ordered the **Kochi Corporation to pay ₹100 crore** for remediation and public-health measures; the mayor said the corporation could not afford it and would appeal. Our [Brahmapuram fire page](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/brahmapuram-fire-2023-kalamassery/) follows what changed, including the stricter waste penalties later in the year.

## April: the Water Metro

On **25 April 2023** the Prime Minister opened the Kochi Water Metro, with regular service from 26 April on the High Court–Vypin route. It did not reach the Kalamassery side until the Eloor terminal opened in March 2024; see [the Water Metro’s launch and growth](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/kochi-water-metro-launch-2023/).

## October: the convention centre blasts

At about 9.40 am on **29 October 2023**, the last day of a three-day regional convention of Jehovah’s Witnesses attended by about 2,500 people, improvised explosive devices went off in the hall at the **Zamra International Convention & Exhibition Centre** near the Medical College, according to Wikipedia. Eight people died, the last of them weeks later, and more than 50 were injured. A man surrendered at the Kodakara police station the same day and confessed; Wikipedia records that a charge sheet was filed in April 2024. In December 2023 the Kerala High Court directed that the convention centre be handed back to its managing director, LiveLaw reported. The full record, with care for those affected, is on our [convention centre blast page](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/kalamassery-convention-centre-blast-2023/).

## November: the CUSAT stampede

On the evening of **25 November 2023**, during the Dhishna tech fest at CUSAT’s School of Engineering, a crowd gathered at the open-air auditorium for a concert. A crush occurred as people pressed in. **Four people died** — three of them students — and dozens were injured; reported injury figures range from about 50 to 68. Kerala’s health minister said the deaths were caused by asphyxiation, The News Minute reported.

The inquiries came in stages. A three-member Syndicate sub-committee reported on 23 December 2023, listing lapses by the organising committee and the university administration; the school’s principal was moved from his post during the inquiry. An action-taken report filed in the High Court in January 2024 listed ten reasons for the crush, including about 4,000 people present, four times the capacity, and two gates locked. In **January 2025** police filed a charge sheet at the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court, Kalamassery, against the former principal and two teachers under Section 304A of the IPC, Onmanorama reported. Our [CUSAT stampede page](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/cusat-stampede-november-2023/) has more.

## Why 2023 is remembered near the NAD signal

The Zamra centre lies about a kilometre south of the NAD Road signal on OpenStreetMap, and CUSAT is a short metro ride away; both tragedies touched people who live and study in this part of town. Ashraf Gents Hostel, a men’s hostel at the signal, sits among the institutions affected that year. The following year’s events are in [Kalamassery in 2024](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/kalamassery-in-2024/), and the full list is on the [archive hub](https://ashrafgentspghostel.adserr.com/kalamassery-history-archive/).

## Frequently asked questions

**When was the Brahmapuram fire?**

It began on 2 March 2023 and burned for about 12 days, according to news reports.

**What happened at the Zamra convention centre?**

On 29 October 2023 IED blasts at a Jehovah’s Witnesses convention killed eight people, by Wikipedia’s final count, and injured more than 50.

**How many people died in the CUSAT stampede?**

Four people, three of them students, died on 25 November 2023.

**Was anyone charged over the CUSAT stampede?**

Police filed a charge sheet in January 2025 against the former principal and two teachers for causing death by negligence, Onmanorama reported.

**When did the Water Metro open?**

It was opened by the Prime Minister on 25 April 2023.

## Sources

- [LiveLaw: NGT imposes ₹100 crore fine on Kochi Corporation (2023)](https://www.livelaw.in/amp/top-stories/kerala-brahmapuram-fire-ngt-100-crore-fine-kochi-corporation-neglect-duties-224101)
- [Onmanorama: Brahmapuram fire — NGT and Kochi Corporation (March 2023)](https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2023/03/18/brahmapuram-fire-national-green-tribunal-ngt-kochi-corporation.html)
- [Wikipedia: 2023 Kerala bombing](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2023_Kerala_bombing)
- [The News Minute: CUSAT tragedy — asphyxiation cause of death](https://thenewsminute.com/kerala/cusat-tragedy-asphyxiation-cause-of-death-says-kerala-health-minister-veena)
- [The News Minute: CUSAT stampede — Syndicate removes School of Engineering principal](https://www.thenewsminute.com/kerala/cusat-stampede-syndicate-removes-school-of-engineering-principal)
- [Onmanorama: CUSAT stampede — police submit charge sheet (January 2025)](https://www.onmanorama.com/news/kerala/2025/01/19/cusat-stampede-police-submit-chargsheet.html)
- [LiveLaw: High Court directs hand-over of Zamra Convention Centre (2023)](https://www.livelaw.in/amp/high-court/kerala-high-court/kerala-high-court-kalamassery-bomb-blastszamra-convention-centre-handover-managing-director-245132)

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