In a dramatic turn of events, the Kerala Police have exhumed the body of Gopan Swami, a 69-year-old self-proclaimed spiritual guru, from his concrete tomb in Aralumoodu, Neyyattinkara. The exhumation, which began at 7 a.m. on Thursday, January 16, 2025, was conducted under heavy police security due to suspicions surrounding his death and unconventional burial.
Gopan Swami’s family had claimed that he attained ‘samadhi,’ a spiritual state of liberation, and was buried in a sitting position, surrounded by ritualistic offerings. However, concerns from neighbors and local residents, who noted the lack of a death certificate and official registration of the burial, prompted police intervention.
The Kerala High Court denied the family’s plea to halt the exhumation, underscoring the necessity of a thorough investigation due to the absence of formal documentation surrounding the death. The authorities discovered the body in a sitting posture, adorned with ash, incense, and aromatic substances as per the family’s claims, and have transported it to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College for a postmortem to determine the exact cause of death.
This incident has ignited a heated debate over the intersection of religious practices and legal obligations, with the family and certain Hindu groups arguing that the exhumation violates their religious rights. On the other hand, legal experts emphasize the importance of following formal procedures, including death certification, in all cases.
The Kerala Police have pledged to continue their investigation based on the postmortem results, as this case draws attention to the delicate balance between religious customs and legal frameworks.
