Premananda, Sri Lankan-born Indian religious leader, convicted rapist and murderer died he was , 59.

Premananda  is the monastic name of Prem Kumar who ran an Ashram in the Tiruchirapalli district of Tamil Nadu, India died he was , 59..

(17 November 1951 – 21 February 2011)

Born in Matale, Sri Lanka, to a family originally from India, he showed spiritual inclination from an early age and, by the age of 17, stated that his goal in life was to show the existence of God to as many people as he possibly could in his lifetime. He dedicated his life to serving humanity and alleviating suffering. He started an ashram in Matale in 1972, taking in orphans and unwanted children. During the ethnic riots of 1983 he moved to Tamil Nadu, accompanied by some of the devotees and orphans. A new ashram near Tiruchirapally (Trichy) was inaugurated in 1989. Several hundred destitute children lived and were educated in the ashram.^[1]
However, allegations concerning his inappropriate behavior towards the girls in the Ashram soon surfaced. After an investigation in 1997, he was convicted on several counts of rape, possession of unauthorized foreign exchange and a single count of murder. Six others including an elderly uncle of Premananda, Mayilvaganam Pakkirisamy, were co-accused in the case. Pakkirisamy was sentenced to life in prison but died in 2011. He appealed the judgement to the Supreme Court of India but his conviction for rape and murder was upheld.^[2] Premananda was serving a double life sentence before his death.
According to his devotees as well as eminent lawyer and former Law minister of India, Ram Jethmalani, the judgement is highly controversial. ^[3]
One of the world's top genetics experts, Dr. Wilson J. Wall, has stated: "Someone is trying to set up Swami Premananda. The DNA case is a fabrication from start to finish. This deception throws a terrible shadow over validity of DNA fingerprinting if now there are scientists who are prepared to use it to find the innocent guilty."^[4]
Swami Premananda himself has stated: "I have never committed any crime. I have surrendered totally to the Divine. Truth will ultimately win." ^[5]

Death

Premananda died on 21 February 2011 following complications arising out of illness.

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