NEW DELHI: CJP founder Abhijeet Dipke has reacted to the controversy over female employees allegedly being moved away during a visit by a Hindu religious group to the Eiffel Tower, saying religion should not be placed in the hands of “regressive men”.“Do not let REGRESSIVE MEN become the custodians of religion,” Dipke wrote on X.

“Men who use faith to police women, dictate morality and deny others their freedom will bring nothing but shame to both religion and the country,” he added.

His remarks came after Eiffel Tower was shut following a staff protest over allegations that female employees were moved away from their workstations during the visit of a delegation linked to BAPS (Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha).According to reports, around 100 members of the group visited the Paris landmark on Saturday. A union representative alleged that female workers were “moved away from their workstations as the delegation passed by”.

SETE, the company that operates the Eiffel Tower, acknowledged that the delegation had requested arrangements to limit interactions with women, saying such conditions “should not have been accepted”.

The incident triggered outrage among employees and French political leaders. Paris Mayor Emmanuel Grégoire called the arrangements “unacceptable”, while National Assembly president Yael Braun-Pivet said women should never be asked to “step aside” to meet the demands of foreign visitors.Meanwhile, the BAPS Hindu temple in Paris apologised for any “pain or inconvenience caused”, saying it took the concerns seriously and remained committed to the values of mutual respect and service to others.