Fugitive Hindu guru's UK representative attended Tories' party at House of Lords

The fugitive Hindu guru Nithyananda's UK representative Atmadaya had attended the House of Lords' Diwali party earlier this year, after receiving an invitation from two senior Conservatives, as per the reports published in the Observer.

Atmadaya was sent an invitation to the party by MP Bob Blackman along with his peer Rami Ranger. A full-page advertisement was also published by Nithyananda’s organisation in an accompanying brochure, which was later distributed among the attendees.

Few attendees were not happy about the profile given to the organisation because, in 2019, the Hindu guru had fled India after he was facing charges of raping one of his follower and abduction children. Since then, Nithyananda has established his own sovereign island state, which he calls the “Republic of Kailaasa”.

Freelance journalist Poonam Joshi, who has carried out an investigation into the organisation and was also part of the event, said, “It is shocking to see the Hindu Forum of Britain (which helped organise the event) found it appropriate to invite representatives of a man accused of such heinous crimes to parliament.”

“It lends legitimacy to an organisation that craves it because of the actions of the fake ‘godman’ at its helm, who remains a fugitive from Indian justice,” she added.

In India, Nithyananda had a huge following, as he also ran multiple ashrams and temples. In the past, he had made claims about possessing supernatural abilities, which includes seeing through walls, curing blindness of children, delaying the sunrise and talking to cows.

(With inputs from agencies)