MEA Distances Itself From Eiffel Tower Row Involving BAPS Delegation, Calls It Matter Between Organisations

India on Tuesday shared details on a range of issues, including reports concerning the Eiffel Tower in Paris, recent India-China military-level engagements along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), and India’s possible participation in the 2027 South Asian Federation (SAF) Games in Pakistan.

MEA addresses Eiffel Tower reports

Addressing a media briefing in New Delhi, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said the government was aware of reports surrounding the visit of a delegation from the BAPS organisation to Paris. The reports had alleged that women employees were not permitted to access certain areas of the Eiffel Tower during the delegation’s visit.

Jaiswal said a temple associated with BAPS had recently been inaugurated in the Paris region. However, he described the specific matter concerning the Eiffel Tower as an issue between the organisations concerned and did not offer further comments.

India-China military engagements detailed

On India-China border issues, Jaiswal provided details of recent military engagements along the LAC. He said meetings of the Working Mechanism for Consultation and Coordination (WMCC) had been held in Beijing and New Delhi following agreements reached between the two countries’ Special Representatives in August 2025 and August 2026.

He said the first senior military commander-level flag meeting following those developments was held on September 6 at Vacha, on the Indian side in Arunachal Pradesh, followed by another meeting on September 7 at Damai on the Chinese side.

Jaiswal added that a similar arrangement exists in the western sector as well.

SAF Games participation addressed

The MEA spokesperson also addressed other bilateral and regional issues during the briefing, including India’s potential participation in the 2027 SAF Games in Pakistan.