2023 Kalamassery Blasts: Kerala Police to seek US help in probe into BJP chief's FB post

Kochi: Two years after the bomb blasts at a convention centre in Kalamassery, the Kerala government has permitted the state police to seek assistance from the United States in connection with a Facebook post allegedly made from the account of BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar. The twin blasts, which killed eight people, occurred on October 29, 2023, during a Jehovah's Witnesses convention in Kalamassery.

Ernakulam Central police registered a case over the BJP leader’s Facebook post two days after the explosions, following a complaint from the Ernakulam Cyber Cell.

According to the FIR, the post, purportedly from Chandrasekhar's account, attempted to disturb communal harmony and carried provocative remarks mentioning the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas in the context of the Kalamassery blasts. The post blamed the Congress and the CPM, accusing them of appeasement politics, and used the hashtags #HamasTerrorist and #KochiTerrorAttacks. It also referred to Hamas leader Khaled Mashal, who had virtually addressed a pro-Palestine protest held in Kerala a day before the blasts, PTI reported.

As per the Government Order issued on September 8, the State Police Chief had sought permission on July 17, 2025, to submit a Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) request through the online portal in connection with Crime No. 3408/2023 registered at Ernakulam Central Police Station.

"The Government is pleased to accord sanction to the State Police Chief to send Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) in Crime No. 3408/2023 to the Ministry of Home Affairs through the online portal for obtaining legal assistance from the competent authorities in the United States of America," the order stated.

The Inspector General of Police, Crime Branch, who is also the state’s Interpol liaison officer, has been directed to take steps to submit the request in line with central guidelines.

Speaking to PTI, a police source confirmed that the MLA request is being sought to obtain details from social media platforms based in the US, including Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).

"The MLA request will be routed through the CBI, which is India’s Interpol nodal agency. The Interpol agency in the US will facilitate the request by collecting information from the concerned social media firms there," a police officer said.

Police had also booked Rajeev Chandrasekhar and BJP national secretary Anil Antony on similar charges over posts mentioning Hamas. Both cases were registered under IPC Sections 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot), 153A (promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion, race, language, or caste), and Section 120(o) of the Kerala Police Act (causing nuisance).

Following the case, Chandrasekhar approached the Kerala High Court, which directed police not to take coercive action against him. The investigations in these cases are still ongoing, a police officer said.

The twin blasts that shocked the state initially sparked widespread speculation of a terrorist attack. However, within hours, Palarivattom native Joseph Martin surrendered before a court in Thrissur district, taking responsibility for the incident. He claimed that he carried out the blasts as an act of vengeance against a Christian group.