NTRUTH-007-002-000: Media Mafia: Ownership and Control
February 27, 2026
evacuate****andfiled****afalse****complaintagainst****us”
The assassins gave the police a false complaint about us, spreading lies that we had dangerous weapons with us, and that we were conducting human sacrifices and black magic! The truth is, we lived an authentic Hindu lifestyle with a daily routine that includes yoga, puja and other satvic (filled with positive energy) activities.
Planned ‘segregation’ and ‘isolation was done on me
Since I was living alone, I was defenseless. The mob came and attacked me brutally, while I was sleeping. They exploited my right to life and security. The land encroachers stopped every attempt of me having basic needs such as
water, toilet, electricity and even food. The mobs threatened the neighbors and even the water supply company, to prevent supplying water for me. It was a planned segregation and isolation on me.”
The inhuman torture undergone by Sri Nithya Yogaswarupananda is a Gross Violation of United Nations Human Rights Declaration: violation of Right to life, security (Article -3) ‘No torture or inhuman treatment’ (Article -5)
Krishnan was one of the assassins (also encroachers) who had illegally occupied a major portion of the property that was gifted to His Divine Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda by a devotee as a mark of her gratitude to her spiritual master. Krishnan had illegally encroached on the property to house his own family, unconstitutionally. To this day, his entire family is illegally living there. Krishnan and his family became henchmen to the larger forces who want to eliminate His Divine Holiness and his Sanyasis. They were employing all means to meet their end.
Attempt to Murder Monk of Nithyananda Order
“In April of 2017, while I was staying in Trishulum Aadheenam, we got attacked by some local rowdies who were supported by political parties. They attacked us back to back, destroying our property and beating us ruthlessly.
On the first day, they trespassed onto the property and began throwing stones at us. One of the men grabbed me by my arm and twisted it around my back. I tried to fight back but his grip was too strong. The first day we were able to fight back because we had more people than them.
On the second day, they returned with many more people. The same man returned and began beating me. He threw me on the ground, sat on my chest, and repeatedly punched me in the face. I couldn't even catch my breath to fight back. Eventually, I completely passed out and had no idea what happened after that. I woke up in the hospital with two others beside me in severe condition.
The next month, the same rowdies returned with vengeance. When they saw us, they wasted no time and began advancing upon us. What seemed like hundreds of them began attacking us, throwing huge boulders at us. We ran inside our container homes in order to protect ourselves.
Whoever could not get away, they grabbed and began beating with their fists, pummeling them into the ground. The rest of them continued to throw stones at the doors in order to break them open. They jumped on top of the containers and began shaking them. Inside, we were being thrown around like pebbles, colliding into all the furniture. I smashed my head against one of the tables and gashed the side of my head open. Immediately, my head started bleeding profusely.
The container next to us was full of women. They broke into the container and began molesting the female sanyasis. They ripped off their sarees and touched them all over their body. They raped one of the girls so badly that she passed out
from the pain. After the attack, we entered the containers and found all the female sanyasis completely bruised and battered with most of their clothes torn off. They piled up all of our kavis outside and set it on fire, laughing cynically as they watched it burn.
The police arrived on the scene in the middle of the attack but didn’t make an effort to even stop them. As they left, they shouted vulgarities and threats at us, destroying whatever they could find.
We had a similar attack in June that was even more brutal. I was knocked unconscious immediately by a huge boulder and ended up in the hospital with a broken rib and a concussion. Several of our female sanyasis were brutally gang raped by the rowdies. One of the women was so badly violated, after being admitted into the hospital, she could not even return to the aadheenam.”
-Sri Nithya Yogamayananda
25 APRIL 2017 – FIRST ATTACK - SANYASI VIOLENTLY BEATEN AND MANHANDLED BY ASSASSINS
“I struggled to remain on the land”- recalled Sri Nithya Yogaswarupananda, Sanyasi (Hindu monk) who had dedicated his life to the service of society. Illegal attacks by assassins set up by heads of Sun Television network and Hindu extremist militant groups, continued to illegally encroach the property and harass it’s rightful owners - the Nithyananda Sangha.
One day Krishnan went a step ahead and started vandalising the place, in the name of leveling the ground. He was removing the bushes and cutting down the trees. Startled by the sudden happening, the Sanyasi in-charge of security, demanded an explanation. Krishnan gripped his throat and pushed him out of the property, all the way. Yogaswarupananda struggled to out of his choke-hold, with the throat burning. Helpless, wounded and paralyzed, he called the police for help. They came and stopped the work. They registered his complaint. But no further action happened.
3 MAY 2017 – SECOND ATTACK - PLANNED CHARACTER ASSASSINATION OF HINDU MONKS
Krishnan, an illegal encroacher on the land and who is the henchman of the forces contending for the land, attempted to manipulate ownership of the Trishulam Aadheenam property. Krishnan thrashed the land and created havoc, then destroyed the evidence of his attack on April 28, 2017, and going on vengefully filed a false complaint against Ma Nithya Supriyananda Swami and Sri Nithya Yogaswarupananda - the two Sanyais (Hindu monks) who were on the land at that time.
Krishnan bragged to the police, “Yes, I only took their cell phone and destroyed it to hide the evidence of what my hired henchmen have done. What can you do about it?” The police tried to close the case by telling the Sanyasis that they will give them another cellphone as a compensation. Of what use is it?! It is not that the Sanyasis don’t have the means for a cellphone. It is about the evidence and other important data in the phone and arrest of the crime and life threat!
Ma Nithya Supriyananda Swami says, “We were forbidden the right to protection of moral and material interests. All our evidence and communication materials were destroyed and female sanyasis equally attacked.”
5 MAY 2017 – THIRD ATTACK - HINDU SANYASIS PHYSICALLY AND VERBALLY ASSAULTED IN THEIR OWN HOME
Two male and two female Sanyasis were accosted and attacked by a gang of anti-social, anti-spiritual assassins incited with hatred by Hindu extremist militant groups, who caught them off guard while they were walking in their own property, surveying their land for building a low cost hospital and other services. The assassins brutally attacked and abused the Sanyasis. They pulled one of the female sanyasi saree in an effort to humiliate her and insult her sacred vows.
Ma Nithya Supriyananda says, “They not only pushed me to the ground and pulled my clothes, but disgustingly tried to justify this heinous abuse by calling us ‘keeps of Nithyananda,’ implying that we are not chaste devotees, but prostitutes.”
They also manhandled her sister disciple, Ma Nithya Pavitrananda Swami, trying to remove her clothing as well as beating both the male Sanyasis, Sri Nithya Yogaswarupananda and Sri Nithya Yogapriyananda.
Sri Nithya Yogaswarupananda and Sri Nithya Yogapriyananda
Yogapriyananda recalls, “It was also an attack on our sacred sentiment. Beating a man is one thing; in my case, though, they beat me and also ripped my mala, my blessed prayer beads, right off my neck, threw them onto the ground and stomped on them. These beads were gifted to me by Swamiji, so this was truly devastating for me.”
The battered Sanyasis filed a police complaint against their attackers, and continued to stay there to serve the villagers, offering spiritual services to the people despite the very real threat against their lives amidst the continuous stream of assaults.
12 MAY 2017 – FOURTH ATTACK - ASSASSINS SPEW LIFE THREATS TO STOP PROGRESS OF HUT REPAIR
On 12 May 2017, the Sanyasis at the Trishulam Aadheenam were taking steps to repair the single hut they were living in, as it was almost collapsing over them, thus rendering it uninhabitable.
The Sanyasis had ordered fresh thatch with a devotee who brought it in early morning. The Sanyasis had just finished their morning everyday Guru Puja when they heard some trouble brewing outside the hut. They went out and saw that the thatch roof was brought in a vehicle by devotee Jairam. But in front of the vehicle, two chief instigators and henchmen of the Hindu-extremist forces - former Councilor Anbukumar and his aide Viji - were standing, opposing the redoing of the hut.
They attacked the devotee and truck driver threatening to finish them off if they unloaded. They quickly ran up the hill and incited the mob to come down. Soon, there was a crowd of them verbally abusing the Sanyasis. Soon, just through bickering and hurling of vulgar words, a sort of a programmed confusion was put in place by the instigating elements.
The Sanyasis filed an official police complaint for the atrocity.
Following are photographs of the instigating elements slowly growing a crowd around them
Ma Nithya Bhaktikananda Swami recalls: They were shouting words such as: stupids, bitch, prostitute, rascal, scoundrel dogs, etc in an explicit way. Specifically Ma Nithya Supriyananda, was abused by Viji using her backward community and caste names. They were hurling murder threats. They were taking videos, photos, harassing us in a derogatory manner. They attacked the contractor and the
vehicle that had brought the items for relaying the hut. They abused and used vulgar words to the female Sanyasis who were near me. The place where we are staying now is like forest with overgrown trees and with lots of snakes and life-threatening poisonous creatures. It is an emergency and immediate action required to clean the place and provide basic facilities to live. But they are not allowing us to fulfill our basic needs which is life threatening. I request you to take immediate action to save my life.”
16 JUNE 2017 – FIFTH ATTACK - MOB LYNCHING ON SANYASIS
A huge planned genocide was executed on the night of 16th, to destroy lives, property and any trace of the Aadheenam. The Sanyasis had hired three JCB operators to level the land. The henchmen of the Hindu extremist groups, rounded up the three JCB operators and thrashed them physically with sharp weapons, iron rods and rock-stones. Their JCB machines were completely smashed. Then, hundreds of attackers directly started attacking the Sanyasis with sharp weapons and rock-stones. The Sanyasis who were on the path of ahimsa (non-violence), tried to save their lives by reaching the nearest residential unit and locking the doors. The stones and rods kept landing relentlessly like missiles. It was a huge planned massacre. Ruthlessly, the infrastructure and the
living units of the Sanyasis were beaten and broken.
Ma Nithya Supriyananda shares: “I was hearing the sound of the stones landing long after the attack stopped. I was hearing it the whole night. I could not sleep for even a minute. What if they attacked us when we were sleeping….”
The Sanyasis filed a police complaint. Most painfully, no action was taken. Why such blatant insensitivity
towards the innocent and vulnerable Sanyasis? Who was the Police ‘working with’ to ignore such a major life attack?
17th June 2017 passed on quietly. Meanwhile, devotees rushed to the spot after hearing about the attack, and started restoring the vandalized place and property to the best of their ability.
JCB machines are smashed, operators are assaulted The attackers came in hundreds and assaulted
Assault and Witness to Rape
“ I was incharge of construction of Trishulum adheenam and I was busy coordinating with JCBs and contractors to clean up the place and build a beautiful temple. I was just having my breakfast talking one of the vendors on the phone, when a huge rock came fell hard on my face. Before i could gather what was happening. A mob stormed in the place where we were living and attacked us.. They looked like a bunch of hired thugs.. They carried cricket bat and some iron rods as weapons.. They did not allow us to talk nor they answered any of us who were trying to stop them. They did not care if we were young or old or man or woman, they beat ruthlessly everyone that fell in their eyesight, so much so that right in front of eyes, they beat a woman sanyasi blue and black and she was screaming in pain, out in the open area right in front of my eyes, they pulled her clothes and molested and raped her right in front of my eyes.. I ran towards her to rescue her, but these men were too brutal for me to stop them.. I tried to call the police.. As i was trying to get my phone from my shirt pocket, something hit me on my hand and i dropped the phone in excruciating pain, and one fellow attacked from behind, hitting on my head and i just fainted at the spot.. Only later to be rescued by our chennai devotees, who came to know about the incident and came to take care of us.”
- Sri Nithya Shambavananda
“While I stayed in Trishulum, we were attacked by the local rowdies several times. They trespassed onto our property, beat our men, raped our men, and violated the sanctity of our deities. One particular evening I remember was the worst. It seemed like hundreds of them trespassed onto our property and started hurling huge boulders at us. It was not just men, even women were attacking us.
We immediately ran inside our container homes as they continued the attack. I peeked outside the window to see the women throwing stones at our security cameras, breaking them into pieces. Then they started shaking the containers and trying to break in through the windows. They cracked one window open and let themselves in through that. Two men came inside and started to violently grab us.
I could not believe that these women were just standing by and watching. In fact, they actually assisted them. I have never seen such violent or uncivilized people. Though I have been attacked before, it was never this barbaric.
They forcefully groped us, tearing off our clothes, and letting their female counterparts jeer at us. This angered me and I tried to fight back but we were completely outnumbered and powerless. The largest of the three men slapped me so hard it sounded like a gunshot, throwing me to the ground. As a reflex, I began to cry at the top of my lungs. The other two girls rushed over to help me and they attacked them too. They molested one of the girls and she began shrieking like a mad woman. It seemed like this attack would never end. Finally, the police arrived and they left.
The police simply let our attackers go and actually questioned us.”
- Ma Nithya Atmapriyananda, female monk
18 JUNE 2017 – SIXTH ATTACK – BRUTAL DAYLIGHT LIFE-ATTACK ON SANYASIS
The relentless persecution on the Sanyasis continued on the 18 th , this time in broad daylight. Many sanyasis could have died, with attempt to murder and rape in broad daylight.
The reason for the second attack was the heartless INACTION of the police for the complaint filed for the previous mass-attack.
Senior Sanyasi Ma Bhaktikananda recalls, “We begged the Inspector to take action against the attackers. We could not sleep in the nights thinking that they might attack us at any time. The inspector asked us: ‘Has someone died that we need to take action? Relax. It is not required.’ We were shocked! So, only if there is a death, the police will take notice and enforce action!
On 18th June 2017, in broad daylight at around 10.30 am, around 150 of the assassin group entered the living areas of the Sanyasis, hurling heavy boulder stones at high speed and directly at the Sanyasis who were by now running for their lives to protect themselves in the nearest shelter. The attack lasted for over an hour till the police arrived. The attackers used metal rods, wooden rods, other sharp objects, stones and anything they got in their hands to attack.
Life and Property attacked ruthlessly
Several Sanyasis saw bloodshed but had to remain hidden where they were lest their very life would be taken away by the attackers.
Two cars were smashed down and overturned
Two mobile rathas- temple vehicles carrying Hindu deities - were smashed down thus directly abusing the Hindu deities they were carrying.
All the CCTV surveillance cameras were smashed
Sanyasis’ laptops, PCs, printers and mobile phones were destroyed.
All the doors and windows were broken
Several large water tanks were torn and punctured
Furniture was broken.
Electrical fittings and plumbing connections were broken
The cooked food was overturned to the ground. and much more…
And a peak atrocity done to the Sanyasis amidst the brutal attack was: the attackers connived with the police and filed a false complaint against Sri Nithya Yogaswarupananda, a male Sanyasi claiming he indulged in eve-teasing of a lady from the attackers side. The Sanyasis were shocked with disbelief at the false complaint. Helplessly, everyone stood, watching their own innocent Sanyasi being taken away by the Police, even though he was the one who was being violently attacked.
The Sanyasis filed a police complaint against the attackers. This time, the police could not but take action because the threat and damage were irrefutable.
A female Sanyasi was molested during the attack as she got trapped alone inside a residential unit
“In 2017, huge gangs tortured us at Trishulam aadheenam.First, they began throwing stones at us. They shattered the windows, the windows of our cars, then our containers where we lived. The whole aadheenam was under the most violent attack. Then the most horrifying sounds proceeded as our door fell to the ground and two men entered,.
It was around 7:00pm just before dinner. Four of us, we ran and turned off the lights. We knew they were close by. They were shouting, beating their long sticks. They had bottles in their hands.
I heard a loud scream of one of my sisters in the dark. The men were inside, how did they enter inside? There were at least 7 or 8 of them. She started crying while my other sisters started shouting at these guys to leave her and get away. These men were bigger than us. One of the men slapped her to stop crying. Few men grabbed me with my other two sisters and pushed us around to different sides of the room. The men were drunk, they were ugly and shouting that we were prostitutes and not sanyasis. They said we should stop pretending we were sanyasis.
They were ripping our clothes apart, exposing our chests completely. they were groping us all over. It was too much of a dead shock. What is going on?? One of my sisters was slapped so hard that she cried out in pain and started crying uncontrollably. The voices of pain and horror in my sisters voices were too deafening and painful.
We were limp left inside this room until the next morning.
The next morning, as I was going for my morning puja, I suddenly found I stepped on something wet and large with my bare feet. I looked down to find a large piece of meat. I gasped loudly as my stomach repulsed. My auspicious morning became instantly cursed.”
This is the way we were treated inhumanely in our own land and premises.”
- Ma Nithya Sarvatmananda, female monk
Doors, windows smashed; computers and peripherals destroyed
Complete office-setup broken down. (Top right) Big stones land on the breakfast plates of Sanyasis, as they were eating
Persistent direct attack
Windows damaged
The Sanyasis’ cars are smashed and overturned
Violent assassins running a rampage
Water tanks damaged, making them unusable anymore. The Sanyasis had to buy new ones for survival.
More pictures of the vandalized property
“In the morning one day as I was going for my morning puja, I suddenly found I stepped on something wet and large with my bare feet. I looked down to find a large piece of meat. I gasped loudly as my stomach repulsed. My auspicious morning became instantly cursed. The locals who had thrown stones at us the night before had thrown this in our aadheenam as well. It was ultimately inauspicious as meat is nothing but a huge piece of negative emotion, guilt, and violence. As the day went on I found how much the inauspiciousness spread.
It was broad daylight when they began swarming the aadheenam. Suddenly, a huge raid of 300 militants entered the aadheenam. It was the largest crowd I have ever seen before on campus. First, they began throwing stones at us. They shattered the windows, the windows of our cars and the doors of our homes.
Myself and two other sanyasis all huddled together in our room as we heard the chaos outside and called for help with our phones. We called the police and devotees in the city of Chennai, alerting them that the whole aadheenam was under the most violent attack.
Then the most horrifying sounds proceeded as our door fell to the ground and two men entered the room immediately finding us. They laughing devilishly and forced themselves on us. I was stripped naked and beaten to pulp. Both the men took turns raping me and the others in the room, sometimes both tortured me at the same time. We were limp left inside this room until the noises outside and inside subsided. I felt as though my soul was leaving my body. When I lost consciousness, I truly thought that I would never wake up again.”
- Ma Nithya Deepikananda
Brutal attack in Nithyananda Peetham, Tiruchengode Aadheenam, Tamil Nadu, South India
Heritage History
The first real settlement of His Divine Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda was in Tiruchengode in Erode, in a village called Avathipalayam on the banks of sacred river Kaveri in Tamil Nadu, South India. It was in a place called ‘Bhavani Sangamam’, the confluence of the three sacred rivers - Kaveri, Bhavani and Amirtha. Here, His Divine Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda established the Adi Nithyanandeshwar temple on 14 Apr 2001, the first temple of the Mission. Here, His first public satsaṅgs (spiritual talks), gatherings, meditation programs, pūjās and homas were held.
The sacred river Kaveri is called the Ganga of the South. The sacred river Ganga, the lifeline of millions of people, originates in North India and is worshipped most fervently along its entire course. The river Ganga takes a U- turn against its own current at Kashi (also called Varanasi), just to worship Kashi Vishwanatha – the Shiva Linga at the Kashi Vishwanath temple! Similarly, the sacred Kaveri takes a U-turn against her own current exactly at this spot where the Tiruchengode Aadheenam is located.
His Divine Holiness has installed a second Shiva Linga (other than the main Linga in the main sanctum) here that carries the same energy as the Shiva Linga in the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi. **The Tiruchengode Aadheenam is therefore a heritage site equal to Varanasi (spiritual capital city of India) in its potential to liberate people.**This second Shiva Linga here, consecrated by His Divine Holiness, Paramahamsa Nithyananda carries the same energy to liberate people in this birth.
The sacred Kaveri river
(Above) The second Shiva Linga
The sacred Bilva tree
One day, His Divine Holiness was seated in meditation on a rock in the sacred river Kaveri, when He beheld a Vision (behind closed eyes) of a lady coming towards Him, garlanding Him and worshipping Him. He opened His eyes to find a garland around Him, and bilva leaves showered on His head. Bilva is the leaf that is sacred to Lord MahaSadashiva (Primordial Hindu Divinity). His Divine Holiness took the bilva leaves and placed it on the ground in a certain location at the Tiruchengode Aadheenam, from where grew a Bilva tree! This sacred bilva tree stands today as a sacred spot in this heritage site for people to worship!
The sacred Bilva tree
The physical attack on such heritage site properties and its residents, on top of the legal and media attacks on His Divine Holiness and His mission, are aimed at hindering the benefits of these Hindu heritage sites and its socio-spiritual activities from reaching the people.
The physical attack on 8 Feb 2018
The fruition of media abuse and justification propaganda, resulted in a direct life attack, that left a female monastic member hospitalised at the Tiruchengode Aadheenam (temple monastery complex).
**On 8 Feb 2018,**Ma Nithya Preetananda Swami, a female Sanyasi (monastic member), of the Nithyananda Order, was busy serving people who had come for the local temple festival at the Tiruchengode Aadheenam. After the devotees left, an assassin incited by the Hindu extremist groups, barged in, jumping over the gate and came straight at Ma Preetananda Swami. He started hurling abuses at
her and shouting abuses on His Divine Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda.
Ma Nithya Preetananda Swami was alone, a woman about to be attacked by a male assassin, and there were only two elderly ladies nearby. Shei tried to run to a room and lock herself, but the assassin physically abused her, assaulting her sexually, breaking the deity of His Divine Holiness, and vandalising the entire property.
She made frantic calls to the police but to no avail. After the assassin had done irrepairable damage to person and property, the police
came to the spot. Ma Preetananda filed a police complaint for sexual assault, criminal intimidation and use of obscene language.
Pictures of the vandalism of this shocking incident
(Left) His Divine Holiness’s image, with the neck broken by the assassin, indicating wanting to eliminate His Divine Holiness by all means (Right) One more picture of His Divine Holiness damaged.
The assassin
Attacks on Madurai Aadheenam the Ancient Temple Monastery complex, South India
The Coronation
On 27th April 2012, His Divine Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda was coronated as the 293rd Guru Maha Sannidhanam, the pontiff of Madurai Aadheenam, the world’s most ancient living Hindu religious organization, thus accepting the lifelong responsibility of Madurai Aadheenam as a successor to Sri La Sri Arunagirinatha Swamigal, the 292nd and current Pontiff of Madurai Aadheenam.
*When coronating Him as the Junior Pontiff or the 293rd Pontiff of the Madurai Aadheenam, the oldest religious organization in the world, Sri La Sri Arunagirinatha Swamigal said about His Divine Holiness thus: “Our 293rd GurumahaSannidhanam Sri La Sri Paramahamsa Nithyananda Paramacharya Swamigal is the deepest disciples of Saint Tirugnanasambhandar. Not only that, he may be called as an Avatar (incarnation) of Tirugnanasambandar”.*He further went on to share in many interviews, that Paramahamsa Nithyananda is the most qualified person for the post and that no one else had such knowledge, eloquence, grace or accomplishments as Him.
Heritage History
The Madurai Aadheenam was revived around 1500 years ago by the young enlightened incarnation Tirujnana Sambandar, one of the four visionary saints of South Indian Shaiva Siddhanta philosophy. The Aadheenam is established in Madurai, one of the oldest cities of India in South India, with a history dating back to Tamil Sangam period, 3rd century B.C. His Divine Holiness inherits great responsibility in carrying forward the traditions of Tirujnana Sambandar's sacred work. This is a lifetime honor with no tenure.
Leadership Attacked - Human Right to Justice Denied
On 18 October 2012, due to pressure of a power lobby spearheaded by the Hindu extremist forces, the government filed a case against the 292nd Pontiff for mismanagement and questioned the appointment of His Divine Holiness Paramahamsa Nithyananda as junior pontiff of the temple monastery.
SERIES OF ATTACKS RELATED TO MADURAI AADHEENAM
29 MAY 2012 – FIRST ATTACK – TWO SANYASIS BEATEN TO NEAR-DEATH
- Sri Nithya Hamsananda and Sri Nithya Paramamanda, Sanyasis of the Nithyananda Order, were at the Kanjanur mutt to supervise the accounting
operations of the ancient Kanjanur Agneeshwara temple of the Madurai Aadheenam. A mob of around 100 persons who openly identified themselves as ‘messengers’ of Kumaraswami Tambiran (junior pontiff of Dharmapuram Aadheenam) and Muthukumara Swamigal (pontiff of Tiruppananthal Matham) heartlessly beat the Sanyasis, seized their cellphones and Rs. 1,00,000/- cash, and smashed their car. The two Sanyasis somehow managed to drive away, first to the local police station, filed a complaint and then to the hospital and got themselves admitted.
Sanyasis and Volunteers of the Nithyananda Community cleaning the Kanjanur temple in Madurai
Kumaraswami Tambiran (junior pontiff of Dharmapuram Aadheenam) and Muthukumara Swamigal (pontiff of Tiruppananthal Matham)
At the police station
The car that was thrashed by the assassins
The beaten Sanyasis at the police station
His Divine Holiness along with the 292nd Pontiff of Madurai Aadheenam visit the injured Sanyasis at the hospital
Both the pontiffs visited the injured sanyasis in the hospital and later gave a press meet about the brutal attack.
“On the 29 May 2012, suddenly local militants and rowdies barged into the premises of the hostel we were temporarily staying in. We kept the lights off so that no one would doubt that we were inside.
I recognized that this seemingly common people were actually well known police officers. They looked devilish with his smile like a murder or serial rapist.
They pulled out a long stick and forced it inside of me. From my core, I screamed the loudest scream I have ever made. I could only hear the grunts and violent comments of my attackers. I was consumed by them, my life and energy absorbed by them. I was sure I could never get it back. The sheer pain pushed me in and out of consciousness. We were left to rot. To this day, there is no justice for what we went through and feels there never will be.”
- Ma Nithya Priyananda, female monk
30TH MAY 2012 – SECOND ATTACK - DIRECT LIFE-ATTACK ON HIS DIVINE HOLINESS AND DISCIPLES
When His Divine Holiness and the 292nd Pontiff were travelling back from Kanjanur, the attackers confronted their vehicle and in the most derogatory act ever, threw slippers at the two Pontiffs, spat, and abused them with derogatory words and tried to kill them. The police tried to “weakly” stop them which is always the case in planned mob-lynching attacks. The assassins also dragged devotees Senthil Kumar and Muthukrishnan out of the escort vehicle and beat them up brutally. A police complaint was filed but to no avail.
Senthil Kumar and Muthukrishnan - Volunteers who were attacked and injured
Attempt to Murder Secretary to His Divine Holiness
“Like out of a nightmare, they barged their way through the doors of the chhatram (hostel) and attacked us. I was trying to secure everyone in a safe place. We were in the darkness for hours, hearing the sounds of havoc outside. We waited in fearful silence for it all to be over. But I didn’t know that even until today, until eight years later, the night of 3 March 2010 would never end.
The attackers barged through the doors of the chhatram. They looked devilish with the smile like a murder or serial rapist. I was sure many of them were high on marijuana, cocaine or heroine. They began laughing and shouting louder when our group approached. Before we knew it, we were surrounded. I saw a few of them taking pictures of us and showing each other. They took their chappals and threw them at our deities. Smashing the deities with large stones, they threw their shattered fragments into the sewage as we watched helplessly. They kneed me in the stomach until I vomited blood.
They first hit me in the back of my knees knocking me to the ground. They begin repeatedly beating my shoulders and back. My body was black and blue, completely bruised from all the torture.No matter how much I cried, fought, screamed nothing stopped them. The life was stomped out of me and I became a living corpse. I was bleeding profusely. As they left, they threatened me with their influence in the media and police, ensuring that I would not report the incident.”
-Sri Nithya Pranananda
Gross Religious Abuse and Attempt to Murder
“While I was staying in Madurai Aadheenam, we were also attacked there in May of 2012. Out of nowhere they barged into the temple, trespassing onto the property. They tied all of my limbs together as if I was an animal. Mutilating my
back, they laughed sadistically as I cried uncontrollably. They sat on my chest, crushing and breaking my ribs, cutting off my breath. When they smashed my head against the wall, my blood splattered all over the room. It seemed as if they derived some sadistic pleasure from watching my blood pour out as they beat me.
I never experienced such excruciating pain in my entire life. I was screaming at the top of my lungs for what felt like an eternity but they never stopped. I was swollen all over my body from the beatings.
They defiled all the photos of Swamiji they could find. They took sewage from the drain and poured it onto our deities, smearing it all over. We were helpless watching them violate the sanctity of our deities.
After having so many repeated incidents, I developed obsessive compulsive disorder as I am constantly seeking some sort of order and control in my life. Like the others who have been through this trauma, I have post traumatic stress disorder and often have panic attacks. I really don’t know how to cope. Initially, after the attacks, I frequently had suicidal thoughts but as time passes, I don’t think about killing myself much anymore. I don’t know if time has really helped me heal because I constantly have flashbacks to that night and am unable to focus on anything else. The physical scars have healed but the psychological trauma still terrorizes me.
My recovery has been a very slow process. After that night, I was unable to walk for many weeks. Fortunately, I have not had to take any medication for my recovery. I still face a lot of physical symptoms on top of my psychological ones. Because of the severe trauma to my body, I am unable to ever have kids in the future. As a result of my anxiety disorders, I am constantly in a state of self-doubt. Often, I don’t even trust myself. People find it hard to maintain stable relationships with me.
When they told us that we could come back, I wanted to return but had so much of fear of what would happen to me if I did. Staying as a sanyasi was not a problem for me, but many people in my life insisted I drop. As a result, I distanced myself from most people from my former life. Whenever I meet new people, it takes me a very long time to trust them after so much of betrayal and backstabbing. Since we have been exploited by so many groups as a minority group, I find it very difficult to mingle with anyone outside of our people.
After everything, I have lost my inspiration for life. I find myself drifting off into my own world, out of touch with reality. I have tried to rebuild myself and my life to what it was before -- when I first came to Swamiji. He had given me so much hope for my life but that was ripped away from me by these attackers. I am constantly riddled with anxiety. It is such a distraction for me. I am afraid that if I am hopeful again something else will happen so my hopes are destroyed again. I do not know how much more I can take. At very bad moments of my life, I will go to my brother and talk about the whole situation. Somehow, I come to balance talking to him. No matter how much I try to move on and reinvent myself, I am dragged back to the hopelessness of those attacks.
I want to build a space and place where Hindus are accepted and safe. I don’t want anyone else to go through what we went through -- the attacks, abuse, persecution. I know that the no matter what nothing can influence my faith and my connection to God but I am unable to make what I know into my experience of reality. I often feel hopeless and unsure about how my faith can support and protect me through everything. I have not been able to share this experience in its entire gruesome detail to anyone until now. It has been a painful experience for me to open it up but I did it because I believe sharing my experience will help end this once and for all. I feel that I used to be so filled with ambition when I first came to the aadheenam and wanted to achieve and contribute so much in life.
However, I have not been able to uphold my vision in the last four years because of these incidents that have happened in my life. If there is a chance that justice can be served and I do not have to live in fear anymore, that is the only way I can see hope in my future. Otherwise, I only see more violence and destruction of human lives. If you ask me if I have any regrets: All my should have’s and could have’s and would have’s result in nothing if the future does not change.
-Sri Nithya Yogamayananda, monk
22 June 2012 – THIRD ATTACK - ILLEGAL CHARGES OF ‘MIXING DRUGS IN HOLY WATER’
On 22 June 2012, the trigger that the Hindu extremist groups used was a false allegation as a legal complaint. They spread a rumor that the ‘holy’ water distributed at the Madurai Aadheenam was mixed with drugs.
In a series of framed cases, the police had registered a case against Paramahamsa Nithyananda based on a false complaint by petitioner M Solaikannan of the Hindu Makkal Katchi (a Hindu group misled by media) that His Divine Holiness mixed drugs in the holy water and offered it to the devotees who visited the Aadheenam. There were several raids at the Madurai Aadheenam because of this. Media portrayed Him as a life-threat to the people of Madurai and attempted to incite the mob against Him. The intention was to execute the assassination of Paramahamsa Nithyananda without any social, political, legal implications through the faceless mob. The Hindu Makkal Katchi group ca
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