Controversial US Hindu org condemned for anti-Sikh statement

A statement from a North American Hindu group BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) has been condemned for having “anti-Sikh claims”.

In a video about the launch of their new BAPS Mandir (Hindu place of worship) in New Jersey (11.11.23), famous holy Sikh site Sri Harmandir Sahib (Darbar Sahib) was shown as one of various “Hindu places of worship”. The video was met with backlash from the Sikh community for the anti-Sikh claim, which pushes a Hindutva (Hindu extremist) agenda of encompassing Sikhi within Hinduism.

This rhetoric is particularly dangerous and though it has been on the rise recently, it has long-standing roots. The RSS and the Indian government have made countless efforts to absorb Sikhi into Hinduism as part of a cultural genocide in Punjab. Just a couple of months ago leading Sikh body the SGPC had to make a statement stressing the uniqueness of Sikhs in response to an RSS chief claiming that “all Indians are Hindus”.

This new BAPS Mandir in New Jersey has been part of a labour scandal in the past few years. The group is accused of violating several US federal and state laws, including the Trafficking Victims Protection Act, the Fair Labor Standards Act and wage and hour laws.

BAPS allegedly recruited Dalit (considered “low caste” within the Hindu caste hierarchy) workers from India and forcibly confined them to the Mandir where they were under constant monitoring and their passports were confiscated, in what may be an issue of caste discrimination, a common issue within Indian circles. The workers were reportedly paid $1.20 an hour, New Jersey’s minimum wage is $12 an hour.

BAPS has close links to the BJP party and is therefore also affiliated with the RSS. Modi has tweeted about his support for BAPS on several occasions too and he considers HH Mahant Swami as his mentor.

The video no longer seems to be on official BAPS pages but remains online.

Sikh educational and advocacy groups remain continuing to counter agendas to dilute the Sikh faith. For more information on this, email media@SikhPA.com.