The work of a cult leader wanted in connection with allegations of rape, child abduction and fraud was promoted at an event hosted at Britain’s Houses of Parliament.
A full-page advert for his religious group appeared in a commemorative brochure, alongside messages of support for the event’s organisers, the Hindu Forum of Britain (HFB), from Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, former home secretary Priti Patel and the current one, Suella Braverman.
One of his prominent supporters also attended the reception.
The brochure for the HFB’s Diwali celebrations carried a full-page advert for Kailasa UK, led by Sri Nithyananda, a self-styled “godman” wanted by the Indian authorities over rape and child abduction claims.
He is on the run and his whereabouts are unknown. One of his alleged British victims has now spoken publicly for the first time about what she says has been her ordeal.
The health professional said she and her family were “brainwashed” into handing over as much as £600,000 (Rs 6 crore) of her family’s savings over a period of five years to help build a golden temple, spiritual retreats and other Nithyananda projects, many of which failed to materialise.
The woman, who asked to remain anonymous, told The Daily Telegraph, London: “We’d been brainwashed for five years (thinking) this is a charismatic young man who’s doing so much for humanity.”
She described Kailasa’s advert and the presence of one of Nithyananda’s supporters at a parliamentary event as “a disgrace”.
“I really don’t understand how the HFB didn’t see that he has been wanted by police for several years now,” she said. Kailasa UK, also known as the Nithyananda Meditation Academy UK, is a registered charity founded as part of Sri Nithyananda’s self-styled vision of a “global Hindu community” of groups.
He has even proclaimed his own “nation”, called Kailaasa, as a refuge for persecuted Hindus. But the 44-year-old guru has been denounced as a fraud by his critics, with the Indian authorities saying he must return to face justice.
Nithyananda is also being investigated by the French authorities over allegations that he cheated a French national out of $400,000.
The full-page advert for Kailasa UK, which appeared in the HFB’s glossy 50-page brochure for its Diwali event in the Cholmondeley Room, the principal function room of the House of Lords, in October, carried a number of images of the cult leader.
The page next to the advert showed photographs of members of the HFB, an umbrella group representing more than 300 organisations, with Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer and other dignitaries.
On nearby pages were also printed messages of support for the HFB from Lord Rami Ranger, chairman of the British Sikh Association; and Bob Blackman, the Conservative MP for Harrow East and chairman of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for British Hindus; along with a photograph of Prime Minister Sunak with a member of the HFB.
At the event was Nithya Atmadayananda, a prominent supporter of Nithyananda, who was photographed with several dignitaries, including Blackman.
In the hours after the event, Kailasa UK tweeted: “By the grace of SPH Sri Nithyananda, Kailasa UK joined & celebrated Diwali with (HFB) at the House of Lords today. Thank you Trupti ben Patel, Velji Bhai, Pravin Bhai, Harsha Shukla, Lord Rami Ranger, Lord Navnit Dholakia, Rt. Hon Bob Blackman & the team for this auspicious invite!”
Kailasa has previously issued one of its “religion and worship awards” to Trupti Patel, the president of the HFB, for her work.
Atmadayananda’s presence and the appearance of the advert came despite the fact that Nithyananda has been wanted by the police in Gujarat since November 2019, in connection with charges of rape as well as allegedly keeping children captive at his religious retreat in Ahmedabad for the purpose of collecting donations.
Two children, aged nine and 10 — enrolled at the retreat, called an ashram — told police they were tortured, made to work and kept in illegal confinement at a flat in the city for over 10 days. Similar allegations were made by two other children rescued from the ashram, in a complaint filed by their parents.
Gujarat police’s rural superintendent, R.V. Asari, stated at the time: “Swamy Nithyananda has escaped from the country after a rape case was registered against him in Karnataka.”
The Henry Jackson Society research group said there appeared to have been a lack of “due diligence” by the HFB, giving the impression it endorsed Kailasa, which carried the risk of creating friction between religious groups.
Charlotte Littlewood, of the HJS, said: “Community organisations must question who they are endorsing, ensuring that their actions do not end up inflaming tensions.”
Nithyananda has appealed to the UN for recognition for his new country, Kailaasa, claiming threats to his life had forced him to flee India.
The medical professional, who is in her 40s, told The Daily Telegraph, London she had become involved in Nithyananda’s organization along with her mother in 2016, at a time they were both emotionally vulnerable from the recent loss of her father.
She claims that his followers spend long hours practising meditation while being deprived of sleep and food in order to reach a higher stage of enlightenment, leaving them vulnerable to indoctrination. “We now realise that all of that is meticulously designed to suck us in and indoctrinate us into a cult which is going to serve his purpose,” said the GP.
She has been forced to give up legal action against Nithyananda and Kailasa in the US, where it has its international headquarters, because of the cost.
Lord Rami Ranger said he had no knowledge of Nithyananda or his activities and had only facilitated the hosting of the event by the HFB in his capacity as a peer.
Priti Patel said: “As far as we know this organization has carried out good work to serve the community and has contributed positively to this country.”
(The Daily Telegraph)
