New Jersey: Silicosis and exploitation among stonemasons of the great Hindu temple

A journalistic investigation has revealed two deaths and dozens of cases of illness among the Dalit artisans brought in from Rajasthan to build the spires of Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville, the largest Hindu temple in the West. The allegations: wages of less than .20 an hour and inadequate safety measures. The organisation that runs the sacred site defends itself by describing them as “volunteers engaged in religious service”.

Mumbai (AsiaNews) - An investigation published by the British newspaper The Guardian has brought to light serious allegations of exploitation against some 200 Dalit workers from Rajasthan, India, involved in the construction of the largest Hindu temple in the Western Hemisphere, the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham in Robbinsville, New Jersey.

Many of them are now facing the devastating consequences of silicosis, an incurable lung disease caused by the inhalation of silica dust. At least two deaths have been confirmed, whilst dozens of other workers are reported to be ill.

The workers had been recruited on religious visas and tasked with hand-carving the temple’s elaborate stone decorations, a monumental project built between 2015 and 2023 and considered one of the most ambitious examples of Indian craftsmanship outside the subcontinent.

However, according to testimonies gathered from families and activists, the workers were not adequately protected from exposure to the toxic dust produced by cutting and polishing the stone.

The investigation also highlights extremely harsh working conditions: shifts of up to 90 hours a week, wages of less than .20 an hour, insufficient protective equipment and limited access to medical care. Some workers, once they fell ill, were reportedly sent back to India without assistance or compensation.

The allegations have sparked strong outrage among Dalit rights organisations, which speak of a double injustice: people already discriminated against in their country of origin, often excluded from temples, were sent abroad to build one and then abandoned.

A lawsuit filed in the United States in 2021 alleges that the workers were underpaid, had their passports confiscated and were housed in caravans on the construction site. Although federal prosecutors closed the criminal investigation in September 2025, the civil proceedings are still ongoing.

The Gujarat-based organisation BAPS, which is responsible for the project, has rejected all allegations, arguing that the workers were volunteers engaged in religious service.

The case nevertheless highlights a wider crisis in the stone-cutting sector in Rajasthan, where thousands of workers are exposed to silicosis. In some areas, such as Sirohi district, there have been hundreds of deaths among workers in the sector.

Trade unions, both in the United States and in India, are calling for urgent action: compliance with labour laws, the payment of wages owed and a review of the religious visa system, which is considered vulnerable to systematic abuse.