Updated lawsuit against BAPS alleges use of forced labour at more temple sites across US: report
New York(PTI): A prominent Hindu organisation is facing new allegations in an updated lawsuit that it lured labourers from India and forced hundreds of workers to work for low wages at its temple sites across the United States.
In May this year, a group of Indian workers had filed a lawsuit in US District Court alleging violations of human trafficking and wage law against Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), saying they were confined and forced to work for about USD 1 on constructing the massive Swaminarayan temple in New Jersey.
The New York Times said in a report on Wednesday that in the lawsuit filed in New Jersey federal court and amended last month, BAPS has been accused "of luring labourers from India to work on temples near Atlanta, Chicago, Houston and Los Angeles, as well as in Robbinsville, New Jersey, paying them just USD 450 a month.
The amended lawsuit expanded those claims to include temples around the country where some of the men said they were also sent to work. Hundreds of workers were potentially exploited, the lawsuit claimed, the NYT report said.
The report had in May said that the complaint had named six men who were among over 200 Indian nationals brought to the US starting from around 2018 on religious visas R-1 visas'. The men were made to work "gruelling hours under often dangerous conditions on the New Jersey site", the NYT report had said.
India Civil Watch International (ICWI) had said in a statement in May to PTI that starting in the early hours on May 11, an FBI-led raid rescued around 200 workers, most of them Dalits, Bahujans, and Adivasis , from the premises of the Swaminarayan Temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey, reportedly the largest Hindu temple in the US.
The amended complaint accused BAPS officials of violating state labour laws and the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations Act, better known as RICO, which was created to go after organised crime, the report said.
The complaint lists allegations including forced labour, trafficking with respect to forced labour, document servitude, conspiracy, and confiscation of immigration documents with the intent to engage in fraud in foreign labour contracting as well as failure to pay minimum wage."
ICWI had said the workers were being paid USD 1.2 per hour, well below the current US federal minimum wage of USD 7.25 per hour, and below even the minimum wage going as far back as 1963.
The NYT report had said the workers "lived in trailers hidden from view and had been promised jobs helping to build the temple" in Robbinsville with "standard work hours and ample time off.
However, the workers did manual labour on the site, "working nearly 13 hours a day lifting large stones, operating cranes and other heavy machinery, building roads and storm sewers, digging ditches and shovelling snow, all for the equivalent of about USD 450 per month. They were paid USD 50 in cash, with the rest deposited in accounts in India.
BAPS officials have denied any wrongdoing.
In May, Lenin Joshi, a spokesman for BAPS, also disputed the accusations, saying the workers did complicated work connecting stones that had been hand-carved in India, the report had said.
They have to be fit together like a jigsaw puzzle. In that process, we need specialised artisans. 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, Joshi had said in the report.
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Mumbai gears up for New Year celebrations; over 17,000 cops to be on duty
Mumbai (PTI): The Mumbai police have deployed more than 17,000 personnel as part of elaborate security arrangements to maintain law and order during the New Year celebrations, an official said on Tuesday.
Large gatherings are expected at prominent places in the city, including the Gateway of India, Marine Drive, Girgaon Chowpatty, Bandra Bandstand, Juhu and Versova beaches starting Wednesday evening. The celebrations at various hotels, restaurants and malls are likely to continue till the wee hours of Thursday.
In view of the celebrations, the police have made arrangements for a strict vigil to avoid any untoward incident in the city, the official said.
Nakabandi (police checkposts) will be set up at key locations, important roads, and patrolling on streets will be intensified, he said.
"The Mumbai police, along with the traffic wing, have deployed a massive security force comprising 10 Additional Commissioners of Police, 38 Deputy Commissioners of Police, 61 Assistant Commissioners of Police, 2,790 police officers and 14,200 police personnel," the official said.
In addition, the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) platoons, Quick Response Team (QRT) teams, Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) teams, Home Guards and other forces have been deployed at sensitive and important locations, according to him.
The police will take strict action against those involved in eve-teasing, sale of illicit liquor and drugs, among other things, he said.
The police appealed to people to ring in the New Year and enjoy the celebrations in a peaceful manner by following all the rules.
Citizens are advised to contact the police helpline numbers 100 or 112 for immediate assistance, the official added.
In adjoining Thane, police have launched an enforcement campaign to ensure safety of revellers during New Year celebrations. Authorities have deployed a heavy force to monitor traffic violations and drunk driving.
Under the directives of Thane Police Commissioner Ashutosh Dumbare and Joint Commissioner Dnyaneshwar Chavan, the Traffic Branch has deployed 739 personnel, including 59 officers, across the city.
Road blockades have been established at 54 strategic locations across the city to regulate traffic.
Specific "hotspots" identified for intensive monitoring include Yeur, Upvan, Durgadi, Katai Naka, Mumbra, and Ranjanoli Naka. Police will use 51 breath analyzer machines to test motorists and have warned that strict action will be taken against those creating noise or behaving inappropriately.
Establishments such as bars, hotels, and farmhouses have been issued specific instructions to prevent patrons from driving under the influence of liquor.
Pankaj Shirsath, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Traffic Branch), emphasized the need for collective responsibility.
"The Thane traffic department is making sincere efforts to ensure that New Year celebrations are conducted smoothly. Therefore, it is very important to follow traffic rules as driving under the influence of alcohol, stunts or speeding can cause accidents," he cautioned.
