BAPS Monk Calls Eiffel Tower Women Staff Row A ‘Miscommunication’

NEW DELHI- BAPS monk Brahmavihari Swami has described the controversy over the alleged sidelining of women employees during a Hindu organisation’s visit to the Eiffel Tower in Paris on September 5 as a “miscommunication”, saying he does not blame the monument’s management for the incident.

Speaking at the NDTV World Summit, Swami said an investigation found no explicit request from the BAPS delegation to exclude women employees from the entire procession.

“It was a miscommunication on the part of the Eiffel Tower. I do not blame them as well,” he said during a session titled ‘Beyond Intelligence: AI, Faith and the Meaning of Being Human’.

The controversy erupted after female employees were reportedly removed from their duties or kept out of sight during the private visit by the BAPS delegation. The incident triggered a staff walkout, led to the Eiffel Tower’s closure for a day and sparked widespread criticism in France, where secularism and gender equality are central public values.

Addressing the controversy, Swami said BAPS had spent nearly a decade engaging with French authorities before receiving permission to build a temple in the country.

He also said the Eiffel Tower’s management had welcomed the delegation, which visited the monument during normal opening hours to avoid inconveniencing other visitors.

Explaining the religious discipline observed by monks, Swami said brahmacharya, or celibacy, was a personal spiritual commitment and should not be interpreted as a rejection of women or as justification for gender discrimination.

“As monks, we observe our spiritual disciplines, which we observe but never enforce upon anybody,” he said.

Emphasising that protecting human life takes precedence over religious rules, Swami said monks must set aside their restrictions when someone is in danger.

“If the life of a woman is in danger, all the monks have to give up their laws and help the lady first. Life is the most sacred. You understand? That’s the law,” he said. (IANS)