New Delhi/IBNS-CMEDIA: BAPS monk Brahmavichari Swami has claimed that the September 5 incident in which women employees were allegedly sidelined during a visit by the Hindu organisation’s delegation to the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France, was the result of a “miscommunication” and not a request from the delegation, media reports said.
Swami also said he did not blame the Eiffel Tower’s management for the incident, which triggered widespread controversy.
“It was a miscommunication on the part of the Eiffel Tower. I do not blame them as well,” he told NDTV.
What happened at the Eiffel Tower?
The controversy erupted after reports emerged that women employees were allegedly kept away from certain duties during the delegation’s visit to the iconic Paris landmark on September 5.
The incident sparked criticism and raised questions over whether the decision was linked to the religious group’s preferences regarding interactions with women.
The controversy escalated after Eiffel Tower employees went on strike following the incident.
In a statement, staff members condemned what they described as “professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced, and rendered invisible based on their gender” during the delegation’s visit.
According to the statement, some female employees were allegedly asked to leave their posts and move to other areas, while men replaced them at certain positions.
The staff also alleged that female employees were instructed not to pass through or cross specific areas while the delegation was present.
The allegations have triggered a wider debate over workplace equality and the treatment of women employees during private or official visits to major public landmarks in France.
