BAPS temple in France cancels parade after protests
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The Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) cancelled a planned parade in Bussy-Saint-Georges, near Paris, on September 13 following protests over the organisation’s treatment of women and its growing presence in France.
The “grand parade” was scheduled to mark the end of two weeks of celebrations following the inauguration of the BAPS temple in the town. BAPS said the procession would be held on another date.
The cancellation came after French left-wing groups protested outside the Bussy-Saint-Georges town hall, questioning restrictions reportedly imposed on women during a BAPS delegation’s visit to the Eiffel Tower and the support the organisation has received from local authorities.
The temple was consecrated on September 6. A day earlier, around 100 BAPS monks visited the Eiffel Tower. Eiffel Tower employees went on strike on September 7, alleging that female staff had been removed from their posts and made invisible during the visit.
The employees said they objected to “professional instructions that led to female employees being sidelined, replaced and made invisible because of their sex”.
The all-male BAPS delegation was led by its 93-year-old chief priest, whose birthday fell on September 13. The incident prompted wider scrutiny of the organisation and its conservative views on society and women.
French left-wing politicians have also questioned the city’s decision to support BAPS. Socialist Party representative Anass Bettaieb called BAPS a “problematic religious organisation” and questioned why authorities were giving it such strong support.
However, Cédric Tartaud-Gineste, chief of staff to the mayor of Bussy-Saint-Georges, rejected claims that BAPS was a cult, saying the organisation does not appear on the list of groups monitored by France’s Interministerial Mission for Monitoring and Combating Cultic Deviations.
Mayor Yann Dubosc reaffirmed his support for BAPS and said the organisation had become the subject of a “media frenzy”.
The company operating the Eiffel Tower is investigating how the BAPS delegation was able to restrict the movement and visibility of female employees during its visit.
Critics have also pointed to BAPS’s close relationship with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. PM Modi has had a longstanding association with the organisation and its late spiritual leader Pramukh Swami Maharaj. In 2024, he inaugurated the BAPS Hindu Mandir in Abu Dhabi and described his relationship with Pramukh Swami as being “akin to that of a father and son”.