Neyyattinkara Gopan Swami samadhi case: Kerala police exhumes dead body from concrete chamber
Kerala police exhumed a body from a concrete chamber in Neyyattinkara after the disappearance of 78-year-old Gopan Swami whose family claimed he had entered 'samadhi.' The body was found seated with ritual items and sacred ash.
FollowThiruvananthapuram: Kerala police on Thursday (Jan 16) exhumed a body from a concrete chamber in Neyyattinkara, Thiruvananthapuram, following the disappearance of a 78-year-old man. His family had previously claimed that he had entered a state of 'samadhi.'
Kerala High Court demands death certificate in Gopan Swami samadhi case, says probe can't be halted
The body was discovered seated, surrounded by sacred ash and ritual items. Inquest procedures were carried out near the burial site before the body was transported to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital for postmortem. The district administration authorized the exhumation after the Kerala High Court declined to halt the process, as requested by the family.
When the police and their team arrived to break open the chamber, family members did not protest or speak out. Sub-Collector Alfred OV, after speaking with the family, authorized the chamber to be opened. Following the protests the previous day, a heavy police presence had been deployed at the location.
Two days ago, authorities had attempted to open the chamber based on the collector's order, but had to retreat due to protests. The court observed that there should be no obstruction in the police’s investigation, including opening the chamber in the case of Gopan Swami's disappearance. Following the court's observation, the police decided to proceed with the investigation.
Justice CS Dias stated that law enforcement agencies have the authority to investigate cases involving suspicious deaths or missing persons. The petition noted that the deceased, Gopan Swami, a former headload worker who adopted sainthood, founded an ashram, and built a temple on his property in Kavuvilakam, Neyyattinkara. His family asserted that he had been buried in accordance with his wishes, believing he had attained samadhi.
The case attracted attention when posters near the deceased’s home proclaimed, "Gopan Swami has attained samadhi." His son, Rajasenan, told the media that his father walked to the burial site late on the night of January 9 and asked the family to bury him privately, away from public sight.
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