Courtesy: THE TRIBUNE) PUDUKOTTAI:” Self-styled” “God man” Swami Prem Ananda, Who enjoyed the patronage of politicians and ran an ashram which allegedly was a facade for a litany Overtimes is in Tinuchi Central Jail salting off speculations noninvolvement of politicians. Drowned in the inextricable mire of scandals the self-styled “god man” and his accomplices were put behind the bars on November 19 opening the floodgates to his various crimes.
He was running an ashram, sprawling over 300 acres of land, near here, with all the opulence and grandeur, not to mention the mysticism and miracles associated ‘with it. The ashram attracted foreigners who, longing for spiritual solace, descended on the ashram adding to its wealth. A top police official investigating the scandal said that the ashram ‘was only a facade for a “litany of crimes, which included rape and ‘one murder besides hoarding unearned wealth. The investigation.
The murky goings on reported by the Press has sent shock waves across the State. An English daily ‘and a Tamil weekly were the first to expose the goings-on in the ashram after interviewing two girls who were allegedly raped by the ‘Swamy.
The swamy came to India in 1983 from Sri Lanka where he was running an ashram at malate.
‘Though the Chief Minister did not make any visit to the ashram, her Cabinet colleagues made regular visits. Photographs of the ministers have appeared in the local journals. Prem Ananda had been trading on the gullibility of the people who believe in miracles and god men.
But, the castle he had built with Guile and deceit began to tumble when two of the ashram girls ran away from there to reveal the sordid goings on in the ashram. One: of them, Suresh Kumari, revealed that she was among the first group of girls to come to India with the ‘swanai, He was her paternal uncle.
But, when she was 10, he had molested her. She later learnt that the Swami was behaving in a similar manner with her sisters as well. When Suresh Kumari complained to her mother, the latter had silenced her by saying that they should not speak about it as it was the swami who was feeding them. ‘The swami used to beat and lock them up in a room if they failed to obey. Anandha Mohan, an ashram devotee, and an industrialist was himself annoyed about the goings-on in the ashram. Suresh Kumari approached him and related her travails, He promised to help her. ‘On October 31 she left the ashram: and went to Madras where she revealed her story to the Press.
According to her, the swamy had “raped many girl inmates” and ‘some of them became pregnant. A doctor from Thanjavur would help in the abortion process; the doctor was imprisoned at the central jail in Madurai.
She charged that the swami was lecherous, sex crazy, and misappropriated large sums of money which were received from abroad for the development of the ashram.
‘The swami denied all the allegations. He said Suresh Kumari and the other girls who had spoken to the Press at Madras “were like his daughters” and they had left the ashram because he reprimanded them for not attending schools.
Ananda Mohan confirmed that the ashram was sex nest He threw another bomb shell when he claimed that an engineer from Sri Lanka, who was an inmate of the ashram, had been kept in chains and that they had finally died: He ‘was buried in the ashram complex and his body had been exhumed by the police. The swami had alleged that all this blasphemy was being spread by agents of the Pope. In an interview to the Press he said that one Mark Dennis, a European, had disappeared from the ashram on the same day as the two girls, and their disappearance had been orchestrated by agents of the Pope. However, Mark Dennis reiterated the same story, which he told newsmen earlier.
He said that when he arrived his passport and $ 4,000 were taken by. The swami who had told him that he would pay interest on the money. But, no interest was paid nor the capital returned He got back the passport with great difficulty.
‘The swami had also established many branches around the world and had used the branches for laundering black money from India. A police official said even ministers invested money through the swami.
Income tax officials, who raided the ashram, also confirmed that the swami had a lot of unaccounted ‘wealth.
Police and press investigation revealed that his deputy and woman sanyasi Mathaji Divya Devi, who was helping the swami inhis nefarious activities, had gone underground in England following the arrest of the swami by the police. Divya, daughter of a well-to-do planter from Sri Lanka, used to visit the ashram with her parents; she was influenced by the swami to join the ashram as his heir. She was made to take the vow of celibacy. But, instead of fulfilling the Yow, she was assisting the swami in his clandestine activities. Allegations were made that the ashram had been used for making pornographic video films, which ‘were exported to foreign countries, and which helped to draw devotees from those countries to the ashram. Police confirmed seizure of such films.
Local people regretted that the police was very late in acting. A Search of the ashram had revealed lurid photographs of the swami with girls, foreign currency and gold biscuits. More unsavory facts had come out. He was called Ravi in Sri Lanka.
Having learned that the most powerful community in the state was the Kallar community, he had obtained a community certificate. But why a God man had to seek the community certificate remains unanswered.
Article extracted from this publication >> December 23, 1994
