6 hrs ago
Eiffel Tower Strike Brings Scrutiny to BAPS Gender Controversy
BAPS is a large Hindu religious organization with temples around the world.
Its members visited the Eiffel Tower during a trip to France.
Tower workers said some women were moved away or told not to enter certain areas during the visit.
They said this happened because the delegation wanted fewer interactions with women.
The tower company said accepting those arrangements was wrong and against equality principles.
BAPS said the visit had been planned with tower managers and that no one was denied entry.
It apologized to people who were hurt or inconvenienced.
The dispute led workers to strike and became a political issue in France.
BAPS has also faced earlier questions about women’s participation and alleged labor conditions, which it has rejected or disputed.
Eiffel Tower staff struck after alleging female employees were sidelined during a private BAPS delegation visit.
The Société d'Exploitation de la tour Eiffel said the arrangements limited interactions with women and should not have been accepted.
BAPS said the visit was arranged with tower management, denied that anyone was denied access, and apologized to those affected.
The delegation was in France for the opening of a large BAPS Hindu Mandir in Bussy-Saint-Georges near Paris.
BAPS is a global Vaishnav Hindu organization with more than 1,300 mandirs and 5,025 centers, but it has faced earlier gender and labor-related allegations.
- Who
- Eiffel Tower staff, the BAPS delegation, the tower’s operating company, and French Equality Minister Aurore Bergé.
- What
- A staff strike and public controversy followed allegations that female Eiffel Tower employees were sidelined during a private BAPS visit.
- Where
- The Eiffel Tower in Paris, during a wider BAPS visit connected to Bussy-Saint-Georges, France.
- When
- The delegation visited during the weekend, and the Eiffel Tower closed after staff struck on Monday.
- Why
- Staff objected to arrangements allegedly intended to limit the delegation’s interactions with women.
Staff and Equality Critics
BAPS and Visit Organizers
Treatment of female employees
Staff and Equality Critics
Staff said female workers were sidelined, replaced, or prevented from entering certain areas because of their gender, describing the arrangements as discriminatory.
BAPS and Visit Organizers
BAPS said the visit was arranged with Eiffel Tower management because of the delegation’s size and to limit disruption; it said no one was denied access and apologized to anyone hurt or inconvenienced.
Whether the arrangements should have been accepted
Staff and Equality Critics
The Société d'Exploitation de la tour Eiffel said the conditions should not have been accepted and were incompatible with equality between men and women.
BAPS and Visit Organizers
BAPS reiterated its commitment to universal values of mutual respect and service to others, while not publicly accepting the staff’s characterization of the arrangements as discrimination.
Broader allegations involving BAPS
Staff and Equality Critics
Critics have pointed to earlier disputes over women’s participation and a lawsuit alleging forced labor at the Robbinsville temple complex.
BAPS and Visit Organizers
BAPS rejected the Robbinsville allegations, saying workers were specialized artisans assembling intricate stonework and that the claims lacked merit.
Key facts
- Organization
- BAPS, or Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha, is a denomination of the Swaminarayan Sampradaya, a Vaishnav sect of Hinduism.
- Delegation size
- Around 100 people linked to BAPS visited the Eiffel Tower.
- Tower operator
- The Société d'Exploitation de la tour Eiffel acknowledged that the visit was organized to limit interactions with women.
- New French temple
- The BAPS Hindu Mandir opened in Bussy-Saint-Georges, about 30 kilometers from Paris.
- Global network
- BAPS says it manages more than 1,300 mandirs and more than 5,025 centers worldwide.
- Political response
- Aurore Bergé said women should not be asked to erase themselves and that no religion was above French law.
- Earlier allegations
- A 2021 lawsuit alleged forced labor at the BAPS complex in Robbinsville, New Jersey; BAPS rejected the allegations.
Quotes
Société d'Exploitation de la tour Eiffel
The Eiffel Tower operating company, responding to the arrangements for the delegation’s visit
“professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced, and rendered invisible based on their gender”
firstpost.com
“should not have been accepted”
firstpost.com
BAPS
The religious organisation at the centre of the controversy
“To our knowledge, at no time was access to the Eiffel Tower denied to anyone.”
firstpost.com
Sources
Related news
Eiffel Tower Staff Strike Over Women Sidelined During BAPS Visit
India Steps Aside as Eiffel Tower BAPS Row Escalates
Eiffel Tower Protest Follows Allegations Women Staff Were Sidelined
Mahant Swami Maharaj At Center Of Eiffel Tower Controversy
Eiffel Tower Shut Over Women Staff Sidelined During Visit
Eiffel Tower Visit Sparks Debate Over Religion’s Custodianship
