Indian-origin actress, model, and television host Lishalliny Kanaran has accused a Hindu priest in Malaysia of molesting her under the guise of performing a blessing. The incident took place last month at the Mariamman Temple in Sepang. It came to public attention after Lishalliny shared her experience on social media a couple of days back.
In her lengthy Instagram post, Lishalliny alleged that the Indian-national priest touched her inappropriately after pouring what he described as "holy water from India." She also claimed that the investigating officer warned her against going public with the incident. Despite the warning, Lishalliny chose to speak out and detailed the alleged assault in a shocking Instagram post.
Who is Lishalliny Kanaran?
Lishalliny is a Malaysian model, actress, and television host of Indian origin who achieved prominence after being crowned Miss Grand Malaysia in 2021.
She won the Miss Grand Malaysia title in 2021, and was a Top 5 finalist in the 2019 and 2020 editions. Before her modelling career, she was an architecture student. Lishalliny has also appeared in the Malaysian TV series Jeeyum Neeyum and the web show Thigil.
The actress is quite active on social media and she often shares photos and reels of herself on Instagram. She has 92.5K followers on the social media platform.
Lishalliny shares shocking details
In her shocking social media post, Lishalliny alleged that on June 21, she went to a temple alone as her mother was in India. Recalling the incident, the actress mentioned, "There's a priest there who would usually guide me through the rituals, since I'm new to all this. I don't know much, and I've always appreciated his help. On that day, while I was praying, he approached me and told me he had some holy water and a protective string to tie for me; a blessing, he said. He asked me to see him after my prayers."
The actress stated that she reportedly waited for over an hour as the priest continued blessing other devotees. Eventually, he asked her to follow him to his private office, where she alleges he molested her.
She said the priest splashed her with a "very strong-smelling liquid" that stung her eye and then groped her chest. He allegedly told her to undress, insisting "it was 'for my good,'" she said. However, she said that when she refused, he scolded her for wearing tight clothes.
Lishalliny said the priest later stood behind her and put his hands inside her blouse. "He said it would be a 'blessing' if I did 'it' with him because he serves God. My brain knew everything about that moment was wrong and yet I couldn't move. I couldn't speak. I froze. And I still don't understand why," she wrote.
Lishalliny files police complaint
Lishalliny said the incident left her feeling disgusted and traumatised. She filed a police complaint against the priest on July 4, but by the time authorities reached the temple, he had already fled. She also accused the temple management of attempting a cover-up to protect their reputation instead of supporting her.
Malaysian police have launched a manhunt, and the investigation is currently underway.
