New Delhi: Indian border officials and embassies have issued an alert for a fugitive guru accused of rape, the government said, days after the holy man announced the creation of his own “cosmic” country.
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Swami Nithyananda – one of many self-styled Indian “godmen” with thousands of followers and a chequered past – is wanted by police for alleged rape, sexual abuse, and abduction of children.
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Earlier this week, he announced online that he has created his own new country – reportedly off Ecuador’s coast – complete with cabinet, golden passports, and even a department of homeland security.
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Asked about the guru’s whereabouts on Friday, the foreign ministry said Nithyananda’s passport had been cancelled and that India had issued an alert for “all our missions and posts”.
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Local governments had also been put on alert, spokesman Raveesh Kumar told reporters in New Delhi, adding: “We have never said he’s in Ecuador.”
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Confusion reigns about the location of the new country, known as Kailaasa, which the 41-year-old claimed was the “biggest Hindu nation without boundaries”.
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Indian media reports initially said it was off the Ecuadorean coast, but in a rambling YouTube video the holy man said it exists “in the cosmos”.
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The Kailaasa website details different government departments and agencies in his make-believe state, offering “free food” and promising a “strong diplomatic network” to work with other countries.
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Previously, Nithyananda has claimed he would make cows speak Sanskrit and Tamil and that he succeeded in delaying sunset by 40 minutes.
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The website says he is “regarded & worshipped as the Living Avatar (incarnation) of super-consciousness by millions”.
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Though not convicted, he first made headlines in 2010 after he was arrested and jailed for 53 days over a sex scandal involving an actress.
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Last month, a case was registered against him in the western Indian state of Gujarat on charges of wrongful confinement of children.
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Nithyananda is one of several Indian gurus to face charges ranging from murders, sexual assaults, rapes and financial fraud in recent years.
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In 2017, Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, another self-styled godman, was arrested and charged over raping two of his female disciples.
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His arrest led to widespread rioting and clashes in northern Haryana state that killed at least three dozen people.
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