Police await three test results to ascertain cause of Gopan Swami's death

Sources said the body did not undergo any drastic decay and hence the medical team decided to conduct the autopsy at the MCH.
Image used for representational purpose of an autopsy.
Image used for representational purpose of an autopsy.
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2 min read

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Putting an end to several days of uncertainty, the police on Thursday morning broke open the chamber where the body of Gopan Swami was kept and sent the mortal remains for autopsy to ascertain the exact reason behind the death.

The police sources said they are awaiting three test reports to confirm whether the death was due to natural reasons or not. 

"We are awaiting histopathology, forensic and chemical test results, which we will get in 8-10 days. Then only we can find the exact reason of the death, " said a police officer.

The officer added that swelling marks were found on the body of Gopan and it was yet unclear whether they were due to the onset of purification. The autopsy was completed by noon and the body was shifted to a private hospital near Neyyattinkara. The funeral will be held on Friday evening.

The body was found in a seated position inside the chamber in the premise of his house near Aralumoodu. The body was covered in bhasmam and fragrant till the chest. The mouth was found agape and filled with bhasma and perfume.

The district administration made the arrangements to shift the body to the Medical College Hospital following the High Court intervention. The court on Wednesday gave a green signal to the district administration to open the concrete slab, which was placed over the burial site of Gopan Swami by his sons, who had claimed that he had attained Samadhi.

A large posse of police were present to prevent any law and order issue. Sources said the body did not undergo any drastic decay and hence the medical team decided to conduct the autopsy at the MCH.

The family and religious organisations had stone-walled the request of the district administration to conduct autopsy of the body as neighbours had filed a complaint with the police alleging foul play behind the death of the man.

Gopan Swami was buried by his family members under mysterious circumstances on January 9. The efforts of the administration to retrieve the body were blocked by the family of the deceased and certain religious outfits. This led to a scuffle, after which the family was removed by the police and taken inside the house, where police guards were deployed.

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