Thiruvananthapuram: The autopsy of the body of Gopan Swamy, a self-styled spiritual guru, which was exhumed by police on Thursday, could not determine the exact cause of death.
There were no visible injuries on the body. The doctors informed the police that the precise cause of death could only be established after receiving the chemical examination report of the internal organs.
Currently, the doctors cannot confirm whether the death was unnatural. The results of the samples collected from the lungs are still pending. The forensic team stated that a conclusion regarding the cause of death will only be possible after those results are in.
The police also noted that three additional reports— forensics, chemical analysis, and histopathology—are still awaited.
The tomb, the samadhi site of Neyyattinkara Gopan Swamy, was opened on Thursday morning after the Kerala High Court declined to stay the district administration's decision to exhume the body. The body was covered with ashes and puja materials.
The tomb was opened under tight security without any protests.
Gopan Swamy's body was handed over to the family members after the post-mortem examination. The mortal remains were later taken to the NIMS hospital in Neyyattinkara.
The body will be cremated on Friday in the presence of religious leaders.
Gopan Swami, 69, also known as Manian, died under suspicious circumstances. On January 9, his family posted a notice on the concrete enclosure near their home, claiming that he had attained "samadhi," which raised doubts among local residents.
Gopan's son, Rajasenan, informed the police that his father was taken to the samadhi site around 10:30 a.m. on January 9 and was seated in a meditative posture. Rituals were performed according to his instructions until 3:30 a.m. on January 10, at which point a concrete slab was placed over the enclosure.
Local residents who learned about the samadhi through the posters do not believe the family's account. They claim that Gopan was bedridden and suffered from severe vision problems. Additionally, no one has reported seeing any rituals conducted near the samadhi site. A missing person's case was filed at the Neyyattinkara police station following a complaint from a local individual.
Gopan Swami's elder son Sadanandan has demanded action against those who made baseless allegations against the family. "I firmly believe that my father attained samadhi," he reiterated.
A disturbing trend was also witnessed during the controversy. Some individuals attempted to communalize the issue by claiming that a group of Muslims opposed the Samadhi and the local temple. Locals accused organizations like Hindu Aikya Vedi of trying to incite the family members involved. Gopan's sons have publicly asserted that Muslim terrorists are behind the entire situation.
Residents emphasized that there is no Hindu-Muslim conflict in the area, noting that people of all faiths coexist peacefully. It appears that certain communal organizations are deliberately trying to foster religious polarization within the community.
