Who Is Lishalliny Kanaran, Miss Grand Malaysia 2021 Who Has Accused Indian Priest Of Molestation?

NDTV

10-07-2025

Lishalliny Kanaran, the winner of Miss Grand Malaysia 2021, has raised serious allegations against an Indian priest in Malaysia. The actress and television host accused the Malaysia-based priest of molesting her under the pretext of blessings.
The incident occurred last month at Mariamman Temple in Sepang, Malaysia, as per a report by the South China Morning Post.
Lishalliny has now shared an elaborate note on Instagram, citing the misconduct she had to face. The beauty pageant title holder also accused the priest of touching her inappropriately after pouring what he claimed was "holy water from India".
Who Is Lishalliny Kanaran
Lishalliny Kanaran, from Selangor in Malaysia, was a student of Architecture at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR). She was studying when she won the Miss Grand Selangor 2020 title, according to Yamcha Time.
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A post shared by Lishalliny Kanaran (@lishallinykanaran)
Due to the Covid-19 restrictions at that time, the selection for Miss Grand Malaysia 2021 was held virtually. The pageant happened in July, in three stages of elimination.
At the end of the competition, Lishalliny Kanaran was crowned the new Miss Grand Malaysia 2021. She finished all the stages gracefully as a top performer.
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A post shared by Lishalliny Kanaran (@lishallinykanaran)
The organisation announced that Lisha has secured a final score of 80.2% in the final round.
Next on the list was Malveen Kaur, who received 72.2%. Meanwhile, Lisa's fellow participant Poorani Rajoo earned 71.8%, and Anya Kimberly bagged 68.3% along with Kelly Cahill, who secured 68.0%.
After winning her title, Lisha expressed her wish to advocate for poverty and children's education.
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A post shared by Lishalliny Kanaran (@lishallinykanaran)
Lishalliny Kanaran appeared in the Malaysian TV series Jeeyum Neeyum, which was released in 2023. She was last seen in the web show Thigil, currently streaming on the Malaysian platform Astro Vinmeen.
What Happened
On June 21, Lishalliny Kanaran alleged that she went to a temple in Malaysia. She was alone.
"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," she recalled.
"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," Lisa wrote.
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A post shared by Lishalliny Kanaran (@lishallinykanaran)
She claimed that the priest splashed her with a "very strong-smelling liquid".
Lisa added that when the liquid stung her eye, the priest groped her chest. He allegedly told her to undress, insisting "it was 'for my good,'" she said.
When she refused, she said, the priest scolded her for wearing tight clothes.
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A post shared by Lishalliny Kanaran (@lishallinykanaran)
Things took an unpleasant turn when the priest put his hands inside her blouse and started touching her inappropriately.
"He said it would be a 'blessing' if I did 'it' with him because he serves God," she wrote.
"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 added.
Kanaran said in her post that she filed a police complaint against the priest on July 4. However, by the time the police reached the temple, he had already fled. The Malaysian police have now launched a manhunt against the priest.