Swami Premananda (guru)
Prem Kumar (Nov. 17 1951 – Feb. 21 2011), better known as Swami Premananda, originally from Sri Lanka, was an Indian guru who founded the Premananda ashram. He was convicted of multiple counts of rape and a murder in 1997.
Life and work
Originally from Sri Lanka, Swami Premananda moved to India from Matale in 1984 with his followers to escape the Sri Lankan Civil War. He founded an ashram near Tiruchirappalli in Pudukkottai district, Tamil Nadu, in 1989. The ashram serves as a shelter for women and orphan children. About 200 inmates live in the ashram, most of them are of Sri Lankan origin. The ashram covers 600 acres of land, of which 10 acres are dedicated to teak plantations. The ashram has branches in the UK, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Poland, Argentina, Ivory Coast, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain, USA, the Netherlands and Sri Lanka. It also has an international youth wing.
Accusations and trial