"Miscommunication By Eiffel Tower": BAPS' Brahmavihari Swamiji On 'Women Sidelined' Claim

BAPS monk Brahmavihari Swami has said the controversy over women employees allegedly being sidelined during the Hindu organisation's visit to the Eiffel Tower in Paris on September 5 this year was the result of a "miscommunication", adding that he did not blame the monument's management for the incident. Speaking at the NDTV World Summit, Brahmavihari Swami said an investigation had found that no explicit request had been made by the BAPS delegation to exclude women employees from the entire procession.

NDTV World Summit: Track Live Updates

"It was a miscommunication on the part of the Eiffel Tower. I do not blame them as well," he told NDTV's Aditya Raj Kaul, who was the moderator of the session titled 'Beyond Intelligence: AI, Faith and the Meaning of Being Human'.

#NDTVWorldSummit2026 | "It was a miscommunication on Eiffel Tower's part": Brahmavihari Swamiji, International Spokesperson of BAPS and Head of BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi on the Eiffel Tower row @AdityaRajKaul https://t.co/M8YzSgCGi4

— NDTV (@ndtv) October 23, 2026

The controversy erupted after female employees were reportedly removed from their duties or kept out of sight during a private visit by the BAPS delegation on September 5. The incident prompted a staff walkout, the closure of the Eiffel Tower for a day and widespread criticism in France, where secularism and gender equality are central public values.

An investigation by the General Inspectorate of the City of Paris found no written evidence of an explicit request from the Hindu delegation to exclude women from the entire procession. According to a report by French newspaper Le Parisien, the inquiry identified failures in communication and what it described as a "collective dysfunction".

At the time, the Eiffel Tower's operating company, SETE, had acknowledged that the delegation had requested arrangements to limit interactions with women. It said those conditions should not have been accepted. The company's chief, Patrick Branco Ruivo, later announced that he would step down at the end of the year following an internal inquiry that identified operational shortcomings.

"We Observe Our Spiritual Disciplines, But Never Enforce Them"

Addressing the allegation, Brahmavihari Swami said BAPS had spent nearly a decade engaging with French authorities before receiving permission to build a temple in the country. He also referred to the organisation's participation in a cultural procession on the River Seine, involving around 5,500 people aboard 11 boats.

The monk 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 practices followed by monks, he said their observance of brahmacharya (celibacy) was a matter of personal spiritual discipline, not a rejection of women or a justification for gender discrimination.

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

He added that the organisation's principles placed human life above religious rules.

"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.

"Truth Eventually Wins"

Brahmavihari Swami also questioned sections of the Indian media for reporting the controversy without adequately examining the facts. He said social media and sensational coverage could distort events, particularly when audiences accepted short videos or online claims without verification.

He praised media organisations, including NDTV, for examining the findings and reporting on the investigation.

The monk said BAPS had chosen not to respond aggressively while the inquiry was underway, following the advice of its spiritual leader, Mahant Swami Maharaj, that the truth would eventually emerge.

"Truth eventually wins. If we give up our faith in truth, then who will have it?" he said.

He urged people to remain committed to their values even during difficult times, saying that public controversies should not lead them to abandon their principles.

"However dark the time can get, and however stormy the weather can get, if you are wedded to your value, at the end of the day, the world will appreciate," he said.