Top News

New Delhi .The world famous Eiffel Tower located in Paris, the capital of France, had to remain closed on Monday due to the strike of the employees. The protest began after allegations of female employees being removed from their workplaces and replaced with male employees during the visit of a religious delegation. Questions to gender equality and workplace discrimination have been raised in France regarding the incident.

The controversy is to the visit on Saturday, when a delegation of about 100 people associated with Bochasan resident Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha i.e. BAPS visited the Eiffel Tower. This delegation was present in Paris in connection with a major religious program to the organization in France. Allegations of arrangements being made to limit the presence of female employees and their interactions with them during the yatra came to light.

Employees of the Eiffel Tower say that some female employees were asked to move from their workplaces to other places. At some places, male employees were appointed in their place. The employees termed this arrangement as a gender-based discriminatory measure and said that it made them feel extremely uncomfortable.

SETE, the company that operates the Eiffel Tower, later admitted that the delegation had requested to limit interactions with women. The company also acknowledged that such conditions should not have been accepted. After this statement, questions have also started being raised on the company's role in the matter.

BAPS has expressed regret over this development. The organization said the number of the delegation was quite large and arrangements were made to conduct the yatra at the beginning of normal time, so that other people are not disturbed. The organization also said that as per its knowledge no person was stopped from entering the Eiffel Tower. Additionally, an apology has been made for the concerns and inconvenience caused.

After the incident, the staff stopped work on Monday, due to which the Eiffel Tower remained closed for tourists. A large number of tourists had to cancel their trips or change their plans. The employees clarified that their protest was not against the visit of any religious group, but against the alleged treatment meted out to the women employees.

Paris Mayor Emmanuel Gregoire also reacted to the matter and said that an investigation would be initiated into the incident. Concerns regarding questions to gender equality have also been raised in the political and social spheres of France. After talks between employees and management, preparations were made to reopen the Eiffel Tower from Tuesday.

The Eiffel Tower is among the most recognizable historic buildings in Paris. This tower, about 330 meters high, was built between 1887 and 1889. It was built by the company of engineer Gustave Eiffel and prepared for the 1889 World's Fair. Today it is included in the major tourist destinations of France and a large number of tourists reach here every year.

At present, investigation is going on regarding the circumstances and responsibility of removal of women employees. The case has certainly intensified the debate on whether the core principles of gender equality in public institutions and workplaces should be compromised, regardless of any religious or cultural requests.