THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The district administration on Monday decided to temporarily halt the digging of the ‘samadhi’ site in Neyyattinkara to exhume the body of a man, following strong opposition from his family and arguments between residents and religious groups.
Sub-collector O V Alfred said the ‘tomb’ of Gopan Swami, who was allegedly buried by his family members under mysterious circumstances on January 9, would stay sealed for the time being, and the date to open it will be decided on Tuesday.
Collector Anu Kumar had ordered the site’s excavation, following which the RDO and the Neyyatinkara DySP reached the site around 11am. A large contingent of police force was deployed around the house and its surroundings.
However, as the process of measuring and examining the concrete tomb began, the family members tried to block the officers from opening the tomb by sitting in front of it. This led to a scuffle, after which the family was removed by the police and taken inside the house, where police guards were deployed.
At the time, leaders of organisations like Hindu Aikya Vedi and VSDP, who reached the spot, objected to opening the tomb, claiming it would hurt their religious sentiments. However, the residents alleged that the leaders were outsiders and demanded that the tomb be opened.
Soon, arguments ensued and the police stepped in. As things began heating up, it was decided to postpone the process. Though calm prevailed after a while, both sides refused to leave the site, even as several police personnel camped there.