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The suit filed in May alleges that leaders of organization Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) forced them into signing employment agreements to build a Robbinsville, NJ temple for as little as $1.20 a day, and then made them work more than 12 hours a day with no days off under security guards' watch, the AP says.
Click here for photos from a Diwali celebration at the sprawling New Jersey temple.
The lawsuit was amended last month to include more workers apparently from marginalized communities in India, who came to work in California, Illinois, Texas and Georgia, according to the AP.
The workers apparently came to NJ using R-1 visas, which are for people working in religious or vocational capacities, the AP says.
An attorney for BAPS told the AP that R-1 visas have been authorized by US officials for "stone artisans for 20 years." Several agencies on local and state levels have apparently been inspecting all construction projects.
The BAPS website says it's a "spiritual, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to improving society through individual growth by fostering the Hindu ideals of faith, unity, and selfless service."
The Robbinsville temple is located at 112 N. Main St.
Click here for more from the Associated Press.
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