Through the entity of the United States of Kailasa, Indian group leader Nithyananda reached symbolic partnerships with cities in the USA and Paraguay as well as national representation at a UN conference. The self-proclaimed nation lacks a defined territory, and also calls itself a movement.
On Thursday, The United States of Kailasa, a self-proclaimed nation and a religious movement, which was recently represented in the United Nations (UN), released a statement defending their rights as a nation. The entity published a collaboration proclamation from Paraguay signed in October by two government officials, which led to the firing of Paraguay’s Minister of Agriculture.
The first paragraph of the signed proclamation by both Paraguayan officials says that the United States of Kailasa has a sovereign territory, however, the supposed country itself denies this, defining itself as an “ideology, rather than a territory.”
The United States of Kailasa’s claim to nationality is based on their symbols, their constitution and supposed shared history and Hindu practices. They have cited their fundamental right to self-determination as the ethical basis for their sovereignty. However, there are unclear details about the country, namely its location or population.
Despite the lack of concrete specifics on their supposed nation, their claims of mass persecution garnered symbolic support from the United Nations and governments in several countries, some of which have since been rescinded. They signed a sister-city agreement with Newark, New Jersey, as well as with other cities in the United States. A representative from Kailasa spoke at a UN meeting last February and in December 2021, and spoke about the religious persecution of Hindus.
Beyond its political ambitions, the entity’s activity revolves around spiritual advice given to followers. This comes in the form of paid courses, social media content and recorded speeches of Kailasa’s leader, Nithyananda.
Legal history of Nithyananda
The leader behind the group, Nithyananda, was accused of rape in 2010 by a US national in India. His accuser claimed to be a follower of his and accused him of sexual abuse over the course of five years from 2005 to 2009.
Nithyananda failed to answer for his arrest warrant in India. However, because Nithyananda sued his accuser in the Ohio Southern District Court in 2013 for defamation and tortious interference of business relationship, the case did reach a resolution in the United States. Nithyananda’s accuser was found culpable on both accounts, and her accusations of sexual abuse over these five years were found to be false by the judge.
Nithyananda then pursued further legal action against his accuser in 2016, claiming that the defendants — the woman and her husband — had failed to pay a stipulated sum of around 475,000 dollars from the first court case.
In 2019, the Gujarat (India) police said that Nithyananda had fled India, thereby avoiding his arrest. He was accused by a father in the region of Karnataka of illegally confining three children in his building. In the United States of Kailasa’s press statement, they said that India is pursuing an unfounded persecution of Nithyananda, saying there is ample evidence acquitting him. (Update: On February 2, 2024, the High Court of Gujarat dismissed the petition considering the two adults staying in the community are “mature enough to understand their well-being and apparently are happy at the place where they are presently residing and on their spiritual path.”)
We reached out to the United States of Kailasa for comment regarding these accusations and their corresponding evidence.
