Lakeland, Bartow duped into offering proclamations for fake Hindu nation led by fugitive

LAKELAND — In December 2021, Lakeland Mayor Bill Mutz signed a proclamation stating the city would honor and recognize "Kailasa's SPH Nithyanada Day."

The Hindu country of Kailasa doesn't exist. It's the creation of Swami Nithyananda, a scam artist and fugitive from India on rape charges since 2019, as CBS reported.

Kailasa has made news headlines after Newark Mayor Ras Baraka invited its representatives to New Jersey for a cultural trade agreement as "sister cities." The Newark mayor wasn't the only one duped, as roughly 30 cities across the country offered similar agreements or recognitions.

Lakeland and Bartow are two of the six Florida cities listed on Kailasa's website, kailaasa.org, as having issued proclamations in support of the fictitious country. Others include DeLand, Hallandale Beach, Palatka and Tarpon Springs, with documentation posted online.

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Lakeland City Manager Shawn Sherrouse said the city regularly receives requests for "celebratory" proclamations. These requests are submitted via written letters, emails, phone calls and even sometimes submitted to the city's Communications Department. The requests can cover everything from milestone birthdays to wedding anniversaries and business recognitions.

"It's the mayor's prerogative," he said. "He can sign off on proclamations in some instances and it won't include the entire commission."

Mayor Bill Mutz can sign off on these celebratory proclamations independently, while larger public proclamations presented by the full commission are reviewed by all. He signed a proclamation recognizing "Kailasa" on December 13, 2021.

Mutz was out of the country on Friday and could not immediately be reached for comment by The Ledger.

Bartow Mayor Steve Githens said the city has a similar process for proclamations where residents and organizations can request one for special events. Recently, Bartow has honored SYFY Bartow and the American Red Cross for its help in the aftermath of Hurricane Ian.

Githens said he remembers the request coming in from Kailasa.

"It was the strangest thing," he said. "I remember showing it around."

Githens said there isn't any specific review process used, that requests are usually fulfilled in recognition of the individual or group, and should not be misconstrued as a sign of support.

"We try to be good citizens, good neighbors when someone reaches out to use for recognition," he said. "It was a courtesy."

The proclamation was likely voted on as part of Bartow commission's consent agenda, Githens said, as the organization wasn't local and there was no expectation of someone picking it up. More personal proclamations are usually printed, signed and mailed out.

Sherrouse said Lakeland received numerous requests asking for further recognition of Kailasa and an offer for a "sister city" arrangement that were not acted on. The city manager said the process of becoming sister cities undergoes more strict review than a proclamation.

"When you start getting multiple requests from the same entity but also requests for a sister city type arrangement, there is more research done and we won’t go far without getting the entire commission involved," Sherrouse said.

Lakeland does have five sister cities, starting with Richmond Hill, Canada, in 1990. It often accepts international students from its sister city of Imbari, Japan.

Bartow does not have any sister cities, Githens said, and to his knowledge did not receive any request to establish such a relationship with Kailasa.

"You can rest assured I'll be looking closer at requests that come across my desk in the future," he said.

Sara-Megan Walsh can be reached at swalsh@theledger.com or 863-802-7545. Follow on Twitter @SaraWalshFl.

This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Lakeland, Bartow among dozens of cities that honored fake Hindu nation