On Tuesday, in an operation staged jointly by the F.B.I., the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of Labor, federal officials raided a massive temple of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) sect, in rural Robbinsville, New Jersey.
BAPS is a Hindu sect with close ties to the authoritarian government of President Narendra Modi. The raid was staged after workers at the still-unfinished temple complained of the group–in the words of the NY Times–“luring them from India, confining them to the temple grounds and paying them the equivalent of about $1 an hour to perform grueling labor in near servitude.”
Lawyers for the workers have charged that BAPS over the years has abused hundreds of low-caste, “Untouchable,” men in the ongoing construction project. About 90 were present during this week’s raid and were removed from the site.
In addition to abusing the workers, the sect has also abused the R- visa, created by the State Department for clergy (R-1) and religious workers (R-2).
According to authorities, these low-caste workers fit neither category. They were in fact little more than slaves, working 13 hours a day lifting large stones, building roads and storm sewers, digging ditches and shoveling snow, all for a monthly wage of $50 cash and about another $400 deposited into bank accounts in India. The workers allegedly had their passports confiscated and were confined within the fenced-in and guarded site, forbidden to talk to visitors. They were fed a diet of lentils and potatoes, and were subject to having their pay docked for minor violations, such as being seen without a helmet.
The BAPS sect has strong ties with President Modi, who considered BAPS late spiritual head Pramukh Swami Maharaj a mentor. Modi gave a eulogy at Maharaj’s funeral in 2016.
BAPS builds large temples around the world, fostering–in their words–“Hindu ideals of faith, unity and selfless service.” They have also been instrumental in steering Indian government away from secularism and back toward Hindu-based, religious dogma. The New Jersey site, under construction since 2014, is intended to be the largest such temple in the United States. When ultimately finished, it will presumably serve the 400,000+ India-born residents of the state.