Chinmayi Sripaada questions Hindu group BAPS over Eiffel Tower row: ‘Women will pollute them or what?'

Chinmayi Sripaada criticized the alleged request for women to leave during a BAPS delegation's visit to the Eiffel Tower.

Singer Chinmayi Sripaada has reacted to reports that women employees at the Eiffel Tower in Paris were asked to leave during a Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) delegation’s visit. This reportedly led to the Eiffel Tower shutting down on Monday, with staff going on strike.

Chinmayi Sripaada reacts to BAPS Eiffel Tower row.

What did Chinmayi Sripaada say?

Chinmayi took to X (formerly Twitter) to share a news report and raised questions about BAPS' alleged request. She wrote, "Why should women stay out of sight when BAPS visit? Women will pollute them or what?"

What is the BAPS controversy?

The Eiffel Tower staff alleged that female workers were asked to leave their work areas during a visit by the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) group on Saturday, sparking a row. Following the incident, as per reports, staff at the French monument went on strike on Monday.

Deep Dive

What sparked the controversy involving the BAPS delegation at the Eiffel Tower?

How did BAPS respond to the allegations made by Eiffel Tower staff?

Why did the Eiffel Tower staff feel humiliated during the BAPS visit?

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"During the visit of this delegation, women were asked to leave their places of work in order to place men there," staff union representative Diane Davoine told news agency Reuters. Davoine said that the instruction left the women staff feeling "humiliated."

"Tensions mounted over the weekend, so this morning, the employees decided to meet: first, to open a dialogue with management, and second, to ensure that women are never treated this way at the company again," she added.

BAPS issues clarification

After the backlash, BAPS Hindu temple issued a statement on X and claimed that its visit was coordinated in advance with the teams at the Eiffel Tower during the opening hours of the monument.

"To our knowledge, at no time was access to the Eiffel Tower denied to anyone. Nevertheless, we wish to offer our sincere apologies to anyone who may have been hurt or inconvenienced by this situation. We are deeply committed to the universal values of mutual respect and service to others," the statement read.

MEA responds

After the controversy, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal responded to the reports. He said, “We are aware of the opening of a temple by the BAPS Sanstha in the Paris area. As to the particular issue pertaining to the Tower, this is a matter purely between the entities concerned. It is a common practice for the Prime Minister to convey his good wishes on such occasions. In this case, it was done virtually. There is no cause for any comment in this regar