Authorities confirm Gopan Swami’s body found in tomb: Post-mortem scheduled at medical college

Thiruvananthapuram: The body found at the controversial tomb site of Gopan Swami in Neyyattinkara has been moved to the Medical College Hospital for post-mortem. Preliminary investigations indicate that the body belongs to Gopan Swami.

The exhumation of the disputed tomb site began Thursday morning at 7.00 am in the presence of officials, including the Sub-Collector. The body was found seated inside the tomb after the removal of a slab. It was found with ash and religious offerings filling up to the chest area. Following its retrieval, an inquest was conducted.

Since the body had not fully decomposed, authorities decided to perform the post-mortem at the Medical College Hospital. The body was transported to the hospital, and Gopan Swami’s son was also taken there by police. The post-mortem is expected to be completed by noon.

The primary focus during the post-mortem will be to determine the cause of death. The police will primarily look into whether Gopan Swami had been poisoned or injured. If it is confirmed that neither of these is the cause of death, the family members may be excluded from the investigation. Given Gopan Swami’s health conditions, the police may conclude that one of these illnesses could have led to his death. Toxicological tests will also be conducted to ascertain if poisoning played a role in his death.

Once the police are informed about the suspicious death, they are required to notify the nearest Executive Magistrate immediately. The location of death must be examined, and the cause of death must be documented. A report should be sent to the District Magistrate or Sub-Divisional Magistrate within 24 hours. If necessary, the body should be sent for further examination, as per the law. In cases of suspicious deaths, including suicides and murders, the law mandates transparency, accountability, and timely handling of evidence and samples to ensure no delays in confirming the cause of death.

On the other hand, if it becomes clear that there is no mystery surrounding the death, no further action is likely. Once an individual passes away, the family has the right to decide how and where the body should be buried. Therefore, once any doubts regarding the death are resolved, the police will not take any special action regarding the burial. The process will conclude with official confirmation that the body belongs to Gopan Swami, including the collection of DNA samples, to prevent any future controversies.

Before transporting the body for post-mortem, the Sub-Collector and police officials spoke with Gopan Swamyi’s family. The Sub-Collector OV Alfred informed the media that the family had been briefed on the matter. After the post-mortem, the body will be handed over to the family.

The exhumation was authorized after the Kerala High Court on Wednesday rejected the family’s plea to halt the process. This decision comes in light of neighbours’ complaints, which led to a police investigation and the registration of a First Information Report (FIR). The neighbors had reported not being informed about the death, which occurred last Thursday, and alleged suspicious circumstances.

Gopan Swami, also known as Maniyan, was buried in a concrete tomb on his property in Neyyattinkara. According to his family, the burial was in accordance with his wishes, as they believed he had attained samadhi. His son, Rajasenan, claimed that his father had walked to the burial site late at night, instructing the family to entomb him privately.