Mystery surrounds man’s alleged burial in Neyyattinkara; police institute probe

The Thiruvananthapuram Rural police have launched an investigation into the alleged burial of a temple priest by his sons, who claim he had “attained samadhi” in Neyyattinkara.

The incident came to light a day ago when the brothers put up a notice informing the local residents of the death of Gopan Swami, 81, of Aralumoodu, on January 9. It raised suspicion within the community, prompting the public to call for a thorough investigation, including exhumation of the body, to determine whether foul play was involved.

The Neyyattinkara police, which have registered a missing-person case, sought permission from the District Collector to exhume the body from the spot where the man is believed to have been interred. The exhumation will be carried out in the presence of the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) if the Collector grants approval, after which a post-mortem examination will be conducted to ascertain the cause of death.

The posters pasted by the brothers sparked curiosity, prompting demands for a police probe. The police have recorded statements, including from the brothers. The tomb-like structure where Gopan is suspected to be buried has been sealed.

Rajasenan, the younger of Gopan’s two sons, claimed that a slab was placed on the structure after Gopan “attained samadhi” around 11 a.m. on Thursday. He claimed that he and his brother, Sanandan, performed the final rituals based on their father’s instructions. Prior to this, Gopan had eaten a meal and taken his medicines before “sitting on the samadhi”, which he had constructed himself using stones brought from Myladi in Tamil Nadu.

“My mother and my wife offered prayers before the rituals. We honoured our father’s instruction to perform the puja with just us brothers present,” Rajasenan said.

Gopan, who earlier worked as a headload worker, used to performed rituals at a temple built next to their house in 2016. Although he initially established a trust with local residents to manage the temple, the arrangement fell apart due to differences over the temple’s income. As a result, entry to the temple became restricted to family members only.

Local residents, who accuse Rajasenan of having assaulted Gopan for various reasons, including urinating on bed, also allege that the family used to conduct rituals at odd hours during the night.