THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After days of uncertainty, the controversial ‘samadhi’ chamber of Gopan Swami at Aralamoodu near Neyyattinkara was opened on Thursday morning. The inquest that followed revealed no visible injuries or wounds on the body of Gopan Swami, whose ‘discreet’ burial by family members on January 9 had kicked up a row.
The postmortem examination was conducted at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital.
According to the police, the preliminary investigation has not detected any foul play. However, the exact cause of death will be known only after the detailed postmortem report, which will include chemical analysis of internal organ samples, comes out, the police said. The analysis of samples may take up to a week.
The tomb of Gopan Swami, located at his house, was opened under the supervision of the sub-collector. The body was found seated inside the concrete chamber, with ash, flowers, and aromatic substances filled chest high. His mouth was found agape, filled with bhasma (sacred ash) and perfume. Police said initial observations indicate the body might have been placed in the tomb after Gopan Swami’s death.
Final rites will be conducted today: Family
Meanwhile, doctors are examining whether ash entered Gopan’s lungs, as this could have potentially led to a heart attack.
According to doctors, there are charred marks on his head, but due to the decomposed state of the body, it is difficult to determine this accurately.
Sanandan, son of Gopan Swami, claimed that he declined a police request to be present at the site when the tomb was opened. However, he later reached the medical college hospital during the postmortem.
Initially, Gopan Swami’s family had refused to accept the body, citing that the exhumation was done in violation of rituals. After intervention by VHP leaders and discussions with officials, the family agreed to receive it.
The body is kept at the mortuary of a private hospital. The family has announced that the final rites will be conducted on Friday at their house as per rituals.
The process of exhuming the body was conducted peacefully, with tight police security arranged due to concerns of potential conflict. A large police force led by two DySPs was deployed at the site early in the morning. The district administration coordinated the procedures, and access to the tomb was restricted. The area was covered with tarpaulin before officials, including forensic experts, inspected the site and removed the tombstone.
The police took action after the High Court rejected a plea by Gopan Swami’s wife and two sons to stay the order to inspect the tomb.