British newspaper The Guardian has published a fresh report reviving allegations related to the construction of the BAPS Swaminarayan Akshardham temple in Robbinsville, New Jersey, months after United States authorities concluded a detailed investigation into the matter without filing any charges.
The article, published on 2 April 2026, stated that the temple’s construction involved serious allegations including worker exploitation, visa-related violations, and medical negligence. It indicated that these claims pertained to the period between 2015 and 2023, during which the temple was being built.
As reported in OpIndia, the Akshardham temple, inaugurated in 2023, is considered the largest Hindu temple in the Western Hemisphere and has been described as a major cultural and spiritual landmark. Its construction spanned over a decade and involved participation from thousands of volunteers across North America and other regions. The organisation behind the temple has consistently maintained that the effort was rooted in seva, or voluntary religious service.
According to the Guardian article, workers associated with the construction had alleged that they were subjected to long working hours, in some cases extending up to 90 hours a week and were paid wages as low as $1.20 per hour. The report further claimed that workers’ passports were allegedly confiscated and that they had limited contact with their families during this period.
The publication also reported allegations that workers were not provided adequate protective equipment while working in dust-heavy environments. It stated that some workers were said to have used cloth or basic surgical masks instead of recommended safety gear such as N95 masks, and that access to proper medical care was allegedly restricted.
The report further claimed that some workers suffered from serious health conditions, including respiratory illnesses such as tuberculosis and chronic bronchitis. It also referred to allegations that at least two individuals, identified as Ramesh Meena and Devi Lal, were believed by some workers to have died due to silicosis linked to prolonged exposure to silica dust during stone carving.
In addition, the article alleged that around 200 workers from Dalit communities in India were involved in the construction and raised concerns regarding their treatment. It further claimed that these workers faced caste-based discrimination, including allegations that they were not allowed to worship in the temple due to their caste status.
The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS), the organisation behind the temple, has denied all allegations. The organisation has maintained that those involved in the construction were volunteers engaged in seva, or religious service, rather than employees, and that all activities were conducted in accordance with legal and religious frameworks.
BAPS has also stated that some individuals who were part of earlier legal proceedings later withdrew their participation, claiming that they had been misled into joining the case.
The controversy had previously led to legal action in the United States, including a civil lawsuit filed in 2021 by workers who alleged that they had been brought from India under religious visas and forced to work under exploitative conditions. Federal authorities had also conducted a raid at the construction site the same year as part of their investigation.
Following an investigation that lasted nearly four years, the United States Department of Justice and the US Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey closed the case in September last year without filing any charges.
Despite this, The Guardian report has brought the allegations back into public discussion, reviving a controversy that had largely subsided after the conclusion of official investigations.
The issue has also been the subject of earlier international media coverage, including reports by The New York Times, which had similarly highlighted allegations related to labour conditions and caste discrimination. However, no charges were ultimately established following official scrutiny in the United States.
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