NEW DELHI: BAPS France on Thursday welcomed the findings of an investigation that found no explicit request from the religious group to remove or exclude female staff during its delegation’s visit to the Eiffel Tower.
The City of Paris’s Inspector General attributed the incident to “an internal process in which a requirement for no contact was progressively translated into the assignment of male staff to various positions, and then extended in its implementation to the point of dismissing or replacing female employees already in place”.
“Following the publication of the official investigation findings concerning our delegation’s visit to the Eiffel Tower, BAPS wishes first to reiterate its concern for the employees affected by the events surrounding the visit,” it said. An investigation by the General Inspectorate of the City of Paris found that there had been “no explicit request” from BAPS regarding the removal of female staff. “The initial request brought to the attention of SETE concerned the lack of physical contact between religious figures and women,” the investigation report said. Société d’Exploitation de la tour Eiffel (SETE) said Ruivo would leave his post after an internal investigation found that “operational flaws and shortcomings” in the organisation of the visit had led to female staff being removed from their positions, AFP reported.
“From the outset, BAPS has consistently stated that it never asked for female employees to be hidden, removed or excluded. The investigation establishes this fact that BAPS made no such request for women to be excluded along the visitor route. We hope this clarification will contribute to a better understanding of the circumstances and allow everyone involved to move forward respectfully,” it added.