The incident involving women staffers at the Eiffel Tower being removed from their work stations during a visit by a Hindu religious group was a “matter purely between the entities concerned”, the Ministry of External Affairs said on Tuesday.The incident had taken place during a visit by a delegation of about 100 people associated with the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha to the monument on Saturday. The removal of the women staffers had led to a strike by employees at the Paris landmark, due to which the Eiffel Tower was shut on Monday.On Sunday, the group consecrated its first major temple in France, located in the suburbs of Paris, in a ceremony attended virtually by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said on Tuesday that the government was aware of the opening of the BAPS temple in Paris. “As to the particular issue pertaining to the Tower, this is a matter purely between the entities concerned,” he said.The controversyThe Eiffel Tower staff said on Monday that female employees had been instructed “to make themselves invisible” in order to welcome the BAPS delegation, AFP reported.“Some were asked to leave their posts and withdraw to other areas,” the staffers were quoted as saying. “In some posts, they were replaced by men. And all female employees were instructed not to go through or cross certain areas while the delegation was present.”SETE, the company that manages the monument, said that the Hindu delegation had asked for the visit to be arranged to minimise “interactions with women”, AFP reported. The company said that such conditions “should not have been accepted”, as they were inconsistent with its values and the principle of gender equality.The company said that it would “accept the consequences” of the incident.Later, BAPS Paris said that it respects “the concerns raised” and takes them very seriously. The group said that to the best of its knowledge, at no point was anyone prevented access to the Eiffel Tower.However, it apologised for “any pain or inconvenience caused” and said it believes in the universal values of mutual respect and service.Written by Anamika Pathak. Edited by Neerad Pandharipande.