A 57-year-old man was killed Friday in a construction accident at a Hindu temple in Robbinsville, police said.
The man, whose name was not released by police, was a resident of Hillside.
Robbinsville police said they were called to the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir temple on North Main Street on Friday at 3:44 p.m. The accident occurred in the back of the property where curbing was being installed.
The man was pronounced dead at the scene. Police said a “construction accident occurred” but did not release any additional details.
“BAPS extends its deepest sympathies to the employees of Flats and Curbs, a subcontractor on site, and in particular to the family on the loss of their loved one,” a spokesperson from BAPS said on Sunday. “Worker safety is a priority for BAPS, and we pledge our full cooperation with law enforcement as they investigate the accident.”
The Robbinsville mandir, which offers visitors tours, is known for its intricate, hand-crafted details, marble walls and mosaic floors.
A fatal accident also occurred on the property in 2017 when a 15-year-old boy from Hatfield, Pa. fell about 45 feet inside the main temple. He was described at the time as a volunteer at the temple. His death prompted his family to file a lawsuit against BAPS which was settled for an undetermined amount, according to court documents.
However, a lawsuit filed against Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, a Hindu sect known as BAPS, and the leaders who run the Robbinsville temple alleges they lured workers from India to build the world-class project, worked them nearly 90 hours per week and paid them around $1.20 per hour.
It also alleged one man became sick and eventually died but his cause of death remains unknown.
A criminal investigation by the U.S. Attorney’s office is also underway related to the allegations.
According to the lawsuit, workers were told to tell the U.S. Embassy in Delhi during visa interviews that they were volunteers and would be “doing decorative painting or carving work (nikashi) on stones to be used in the New Jersey temple.”
The workers eventually received religious visas, according to the lawsuit, and had to pay their way from India to New York City. Upon arrival to the U.S., BAPS representatives allegedly confiscated their passports and visas — even before they had left the airport, according to the lawsuit.
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