What was fugitive Nithyananda's 'United States of Kailasa' doing at the UN?

Nithyananda, a rape-accused fugitive who is also a self-styled godman, claims to have established a country representing 2 billion Hindus in 2019

Pictures and social media posts of people draped in saffron clothing claiming to represent rape-accused fugitive Nithyananda and his fictional country, "Nation of Kailasa," at the United Nations (UN), were shared and left many puzzled.

 

To quell any misrepresentation, a UN official responded to queries about the delegation's attendance at a UN meeting on March 1 and said that the group was attending general discussions at the UN, which are public meetings open to anyone interested in participating. The BBC quoted a UN official, "United States of Kailasa (USK) representatives attended two UN public meetings in Geneva in February".

 

Providing further clarification, the official said that the inputs provided by the "self-proclaimed" figure would not be taken into consideration as they were "irrelevant" and "tangential" to the issues being discussed.

 

Who is Nityananda?

 

Nithyananda, a rape-accused fugitive who is also a self-styled godman, claims to have established a country representing two billion Hindus in 2019. He is wanted in India in several cases, including rape and sexual assault. However, he denies all the allegations against him.

 

In 2012, Nithyananda was recognised as one of the "100 Most Spiritually Influential Living People" by Watkins' Mind Body Spirit magazine.

 

In August 2022, a representative for Nithyananda wrote to Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe requesting political asylum, citing Nithyananda's ill health. According to India Today, the letter contained an offer to invest in Sri Lanka on the condition that asylum be granted and medical equipment needed for treatment be donated.

 

What is the "Nation of Kailasa"?

 

The Nation of Kailasa, founded by Nithyananda in 2019, claims to represent two billion Hindus worldwide.

 

There is little clarity about the territorial or geographical existence of the country, but the Nation of Kailasa has an official website with a .org domain. The website has provisions for e-citizenship for the nation.

 

Furthermore, the website talks about the flag and emblem, the national anthem, the constitution, the reserve bank, various embassies worldwide, and several departments of the Nation of Kailasa.

 

There is no definite information on Nithyananda's whereabouts. According to a report in HuffPost, Gujarat Police believe he could be shuffling between Ecuador and Trinidad and Tobago. In contrast, other news reports say he may have gone to Ecuador because the country does not have an extradition treaty with India.