The city of Newark in the US state of New Jersey has scrapped a sister-city agreement with the so-called ‘United States of Kailasa’ founded by Indian fugitive Nithyananda, citing confusing circumstances surrounding the fictional country and the event. described as “regrettable”. ,
Susan Garofalo, press secretary in the Newark City Department of Communications, told PTI in an email that “as soon as we became aware of the circumstances surrounding Kailasa, the City of Newark acted quickly and canceled the sister city agreement on January 18.” Gave.”
“Based on deception, the ceremony was baseless and void … Although it was a regrettable event, the City of Newark is committed to partnering with people of diverse cultures to enrich each other with connectivity, support and mutual respect.” , ” Garofalo said .
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The sister-city agreement between Newark and the so-called USK took place on January 12 of this year and the signing ceremony took place at Newark’s City Hall.
Self-styled godman and fugitive Nithyananda claims to have founded the “United States of Kailash (USK)” in 2019 and has “two billion practicing Hindus” among its population, according to its website. Nithyananda is wanted in India on multiple charges of rape and sexual assault – charges he denies.
Newark Councilman at Large Luis Quintana sponsored a resolution to repeal the agreement. He said during official proceedings that any city proceeding from entering into a sister city agreement “should be in good standards of human rights.
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“We cannot bring Sister Cities International into an issue where there is controversy. This is an oversight, can’t happen anymore,” he said, adding that Newark cannot put itself in a position where there is a sister city that has no human rights.
He added that going forward, it must be ensured that when sister cities are encouraged, agreements cannot be made with governments that do not have human rights.
Last month, USK representatives attended two UN public meetings in Geneva – one on ‘Equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems’ organized by the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) on 22 February general discussion.
He also participated in the General Discussion Day on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and General Comment on Sustainable Development organized by the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) on 24 February.
In response to questions on the USK’s participation in UN forums, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) stated that registration for such public events is open to NGOs and the general public.
Anyone can submit information to treaty bodies, who will use their judgment to determine the credibility of submissions received.
“On the day of the CEDAW general discussion, USK members were prevented from distributing propaganda material in front of and inside the conference hall. His written submission to CEDAW will not be published by the Committee as it is irrelevant to the subject of the general discussion,” the OHCHR had said.
