Kerala police exhume body of temple priest amid controversy on ‘Samadhi’ claim

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 16
The Kerala police on Thursday exhumed the body of a temple priest, Gopan Swami, whose mysterious death and burial in a concrete chamber at Aralumoodu, Neyyatinkara, stirred controversy and public curiosity.

The incident came to light after Swami’s family put up posters on January 10, claiming he had attained Samadhi, a state of spiritual liberation.

The claim, coupled with the unusual burial method, raised questions among local residents. In response, the family maintained that Swami’s burial was carried out as per his wishes. The situation escalated when a missing person complaint was filed, prompting the Neyyatinkara police to initiate an investigation.

Early Thursday morning, a large contingent of police arrived at the burial site to secure the area and prevent any protests during the exhumation.

Upon opening the concrete chamber, officials discovered the partially decomposed body seated in a meditative posture, surrounded by sacred ash and other ritual objects.

After completing inquest procedures at the site, the body was sent to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital for a postmortem examination.

The exhumation was carried out under the supervision of Sub-Collector O.V. Alfred and in the presence of forensic and fingerprint experts.

Strict restrictions were imposed on public and media access to maintain order. Five municipal councilors from Neyyatinkara were also present.

Earlier attempts to exhume the body on Monday faced resistance from the family and some locals, who argued that the process violated their religious practices.

However, the Kerala High Court dismissed a plea from the family to halt the exhumation. Justice C.S. Dias ruled that investigative agencies have the authority to probe suspicious deaths or missing person cases.

According to the investigation, Gopan Swami was a former head-load worker who had renounced his past life to embrace sainthood. He established an ashram and built a temple on his property in Kavuvilakam, Neyyatinkara.

His family claimed that Swami had requested a private burial, believing he had attained Samadhi.

Swamy’s son, Rajasenan, told the media that his father walked to the burial site on January 9, late at night, and instructed the family to bury him discreetly without public involvement.

The exhumation process was completed peacefully, with additional police personnel deployed to prevent unrest in the area.