Workers carved the largest modern Hindu temple in the west. Now, some have incurable lung disease
In the center of the suburban town of Robbinsville, New Jersey, sits the largest modern Hindu mandir outside India.
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.
Workers say others have been diagnosed with other respiratory illnesses such as tuberculosis and chronic bronchitis. Workers spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation and to protect their families. Symptoms of silicosis include shortness of breath, persistent cough, chest pain and fatigue and can lead to severe disability and premature death.
Two hundred Dalit workers, members of the lowest caste in India’s rigid social hierarchy, came from Rajasthan to New Jersey to work on the temple. Historically subjected to extreme social and economic marginalization, Dalits have long been relegated to the most dangerous and lowest-paid labor. Dalit workers are also purportedly not allowed to worship in these temples because of their low caste ranking.
At the Robbinsville site, workers say they labored for 90 hours a week for as low as $1.20 an hour, according to the complaint. Workers allege that passports were taken from them and they were not allowed to contact their families for long periods of time.
“I saw my kids growing up on the phone,” a worker said, explaining that he also hadn’t seen his parents, brother and wife for seven years. His roommate had also died by suicide after returning to India. His roommates’ family say depression and the working conditions at the temple played a significant role in his death.
“At that time his health was fine. He had a check up along with everyone else, and was told he had some silicosis, but not much, around 10 to 20%,” Ankush Kumar, son of the deceased, wrote in a Signal message.
“They didn’t give us a single day off, no matter how much it snowed. They even made us work in the snow,” said another worker with silicosis who was sent back to Rajasthan. “So, I took eight days of rest. During those eight days, they didn’t let me go back to the house [where workers stayed.] After I recovered a bit, they sent me and my brother-in-law back to India. Now my brother-in-law is also in a bad condition, and so are many other men along with me.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...ng-disease
In the center of the suburban town of Robbinsville, New Jersey, sits the largest modern Hindu mandir outside India.
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.
Workers say others have been diagnosed with other respiratory illnesses such as tuberculosis and chronic bronchitis. Workers spoke to the Guardian on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation and to protect their families. Symptoms of silicosis include shortness of breath, persistent cough, chest pain and fatigue and can lead to severe disability and premature death.
Two hundred Dalit workers, members of the lowest caste in India’s rigid social hierarchy, came from Rajasthan to New Jersey to work on the temple. Historically subjected to extreme social and economic marginalization, Dalits have long been relegated to the most dangerous and lowest-paid labor. Dalit workers are also purportedly not allowed to worship in these temples because of their low caste ranking.
At the Robbinsville site, workers say they labored for 90 hours a week for as low as $1.20 an hour, according to the complaint. Workers allege that passports were taken from them and they were not allowed to contact their families for long periods of time.
“I saw my kids growing up on the phone,” a worker said, explaining that he also hadn’t seen his parents, brother and wife for seven years. His roommate had also died by suicide after returning to India. His roommates’ family say depression and the working conditions at the temple played a significant role in his death.
“At that time his health was fine. He had a check up along with everyone else, and was told he had some silicosis, but not much, around 10 to 20%,” Ankush Kumar, son of the deceased, wrote in a Signal message.
“They didn’t give us a single day off, no matter how much it snowed. They even made us work in the snow,” said another worker with silicosis who was sent back to Rajasthan. “So, I took eight days of rest. During those eight days, they didn’t let me go back to the house [where workers stayed.] After I recovered a bit, they sent me and my brother-in-law back to India. Now my brother-in-law is also in a bad condition, and so are many other men along with me.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...ng-disease
teachings of the Bible are so muddled and self-contradictory that it was possible for Christians to happily burn heretics alive for five long centuries. It was even possible for the most venerated patriarchs of the Church, like St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, to conclude that heretics should be tortured (Augustine) or killed outright (Aquinas). Martin Luther and John Calvin advocated the wholesale murder of heretics, apostates, Jews, and witches. - Sam Harris, "Letter To A Christian Nation"
