Thiruvananthapuram: A shocking discovery was made in Neyyattinkara, Kerala, as police exhumed a body from a concrete chamber, suspected to belong to a 78-year-old man, Gopan Swami, who had been missing. The incident gained traction after the man’s family claimed he had attained ‘samadhi’ and was buried as per his wishes. The chamber, filled with sacred ash and ritualistic materials, revealed the body in a seated posture, raising questions about the circumstances of the burial.
The Kerala High Court had earlier rejected a plea from the family seeking to halt the exhumation process, emphasizing the need for investigation under suspicious circumstances. Supervised by Sub-Collector Alfred OV and supported by forensic and fingerprint experts, the site was cordoned off with additional police deployed to maintain order. The inquest and postmortem are expected to be conducted near the burial site.
The controversy began when posters near the ashram announced, “Gopan Swami has attained samadhi.” His son claimed that on January 9, his father had instructed the family to bury him privately after walking to the burial site late at night. However, neighbours raised suspicions, prompting the police to register an FIR. Justice CS Dias underscored the legal authority of police to investigate deaths under suspicious circumstances, invoking Section 194 of the BNSS.
The case has sparked debate over religious beliefs and the need for legal clarity in addressing claims of ‘samadhi’ in cases of unnatural death. With ongoing investigations, this incident has drawn significant public and media attention, challenging the intersection of tradition and law.
