ROBBINSVILLE, New Jersey
On
Tuesday, May 11th, the FBI raided a massive Hindu Temple accused of forced
labor, wage theft, and trafficking.
Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha is a Hindu sect known as BAPS is facing a lawsuit claiming the organization and its leaders lured men from poorer communities in India to work 90 hours a week for as little as a dollar an hour. The workers were confined to the temple grounds, fenced-in and guarded, living in trailers kept from view of the public. They were not allowed to interact with visitors and lived off of potatoes and lentils. The lawsuit is seeking money for damages and unpaid wages for the workers.
Patricia Kakalec, an attorney representing the workers said in a statement, "I've represented migrant farmworkers, I've done low-wage worker cases, and this is really quite shocking." Calling their time at the temple an "extremely traumatic and isolating experience."
U.S. District Court in New Jersey filed the lawsuit saying at least 200 Indian nationals are part of the case. Lawyers for the men say that they were paid each month, $50 in cash, and another $400 deposited into an account in India. In return, the men would work 13 hours a day of hard manual labor.
Most of the workers are Dalit, a lowers caste in India, and according to the lawsuit, were offered jobs with standard hours and vacation time to help build the temple. They used temporary religious visas usually used for clergy members, missionaries, and religious workers.
Swati Sawant, an immigration lawyer in New Jersey (also Dalit) said, "They thought they would have a good job and see America. They didn't think they would be treated like animals, or like machines that aren't going to get sick."
"We were first made aware of the accusations early this morning, we are taking them very seriously and are thoroughly reviewing the issues raised." Matthew Frankel, a spokesperson for BAPS said in a statement to NBC.
Another spokesman for BAPS, Lenin Joshi, told newspapers, "We are naturally shaken by this turn of events and are sure that once the full facts come out, we will be able to provide answers and show that these accusations and allegations are without merit."
Source: New Jersey News Network
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