Workers allege abuse, visa fraud and medical neglect during the New Jersey temple’s construction – and say two died from lung disease caused by inhaling silica dust
In the center of the suburban town of Robbinsville, New Jersey, sits the largest modern Hindu mandir outside India.
What visitors from around the world see is a breathtaking display of craftsmanship – hand-carved stone from Rajasthan assembled across a sprawling 185-acre complex. The temple has gone viral on social media for its intricate designs, which took millions of hours to complete. Baps Swaminarayan Akshardham, the religious organization behind the site, has built similar temples across the globe. But some workers say these monumental structures came at a high cost.
Beneath the beauty and sheer scale of the Robbinsville complex lies a darker story: allegations of worker abuse, visa fraud and medical neglect during the temple’s construction between 2015 and 2023. Workers believe that at least two laborers, Ramesh Meena and Devi Lal died from a largely preventable, irreversible lung disease called silicosis, caused by inhaling fine silica dust produced while carving stone, according to court documents and labor advocates familiar with the case. Lal died while waiting for a lung transplant.
