The police on Thursday exhumed the body of a 69-year-old man, whose family claimed that he had attained 'samadhi, near Neyyattinkara in the capital district.
Under tight security, the Neyyattinkara police unearthed the grave and recovered the body, reportedly identified as that of Gopan Swami.
After completing the inquest proceedings, it was shifted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Earlier, the police made extensive security measures, deploying a large contingent of personnel in the area along with a medical team led by a forensic surgeon.
During the exhumation, the body was discovered in a sitting position. Several pooja items, including 'vibhuti' (sacred ash), were reportedly found inside the grave, according to police sources.
"We held talks with the family members and shifted the body for a post-mortem examination," Thiruvananthapuram sub-collector Alfred O V said.
Speaking to the media, he said that the police will conduct further investigations and the body will be handed over to the family after conducting the post-mortem.
Following the protests from family members and a section of local residents, the police temporarily halted the exhumation proceedings on Monday.
Subsequently, the family approached the Kerala High Court seeking an order to prevent the police from attempting to demolish the site of the 'samadhi'. However, the court declined to interfere with the investigation. -- PTI
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