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Initially, the lawsuit was concerned only with the New Jersey temple, arguing that the men were brought into the US with false promises and then made to work seven days a week for $1.20 an
hour. The federal minimum wage in the US is $7.25 an hour, six times more than what the workers were being paid. But now, it includes temples all over the US, covering a scheme in which
hundreds of workers have been subjected to exploitation. The lawsuit also makes some serious allegations, such as: * The workers weren't allowed to leave the temples where they worked
and the living quarters in which they resided. * They had their passports taken away from them. * They were not allowed to talk to anyone who visited the temple. * They were also threatened
with punishment if they revealed their working conditions to anyone. “It’s important that all workers who saw their labour and civil rights violated at BAPS temples across the US have the
opportunity to seek justice,” said Daniel Werner, one of the lawyers involved in the lawsuit. _(With inputs from the New York Times)_