BAPS Didn’t Seek Removal of Women Employees at Eiffel Tower?

The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha’s Eiffel Tower visit on September 5 became a huge controversy. There were severe allegations from female Eiffel Tower employees that they were sidelined during the private BAPS delegation visit. Staff members said some female employees were asked to leave their posts and move to other areas.

In some locations, they were replaced by male employees. Female staff were also reportedly instructed not to enter or cross certain areas while the delegation was present. This led to huge controversy and led to staff walkout. This resulted in the closure of the Eiffel Tower for a day and widespread public and political criticism in France. SETE, the company that operates the Eiffel Tower, described the incident as unacceptable.

With this, a serious probe was ordered into the whole controversy. The investigation now revealed that the Hindu group did not make any special request to remove or exclude women employees.

According to a report by Le Parisien, the General Inspectorate of Public Safety, found no written request from the BAPS delegation seeking the removal or exclusion of women staff. The investigation found that the decisions were made through verbal communication between officials, with no email, letter or other written instruction from the Hindu group.

A Parisian elected official said the original message may have been distorted as it was passed from one person to another. The investigation concluded that the incident resulted from communication failures and operational shortcomings in organising the private visit.

With this, SETE chief Patrick Branco Ruivo is set to step down at the end of the year following the controversy. According to Le Parisien, he decided to leave to protect employees and preserve the team.