An investigation by the City of Paris has found no evidence that a delegation of the Bochasanwasi Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) explicitly asked for female employees to be removed from the Eiffel Tower during its controversial private visit last month, shifting scrutiny towards how the landmark's management handled arrangements for the group.
The findings of the General Inspectorate of the City of Paris (IGVP), reported by French newspaper Le Parisien, concluded that there was no explicit request from the Hindu religious delegation to exclude women from the entire route of its visit. The investigation instead identified what it described as a “collective dysfunction” surrounding the organisation of the September 5 visit.
No written request found
According to the findings, investigators could not identify any written document, email or other formal communication from BAPS instructing the Eiffel Tower's operator to remove women from their posts.
The inquiry found that arrangements concerning staff were made without any documented instruction from the religious organisation. One Paris official familiar with the findings said the message appeared to have been altered as it passed verbally through different levels involved in organising the visit.
The finding is significant because the controversy initially centred on allegations that women had been removed from their workstations to prevent interaction with members of the visiting BAPS delegation.
BAPS had consistently denied asking for female employees to be removed, hidden or sidelined.
Women were sidelined
The inquiry's findings do not dispute that female employees were, in fact, sidelined during the visit. Staff representatives said women were asked to leave certain workstations and were replaced by male colleagues while the delegation passed through parts of the Eiffel Tower.
Some female employees were reportedly asked to wait in separate areas, while instructions were issued restricting their presence along parts of the delegation's route.
The distinction emerging from the investigation is therefore between what happened to the employees and whether BAPS itself explicitly demanded those measures.
The Eiffel Tower's operating company, Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE), had previously acknowledged that operational failures resulted in female employees being excluded during the visit, describing the outcome as unacceptable.
Staff protest followed
The incident triggered anger among Eiffel Tower employees, who argued that the treatment of their female colleagues violated principles of equality and non-discrimination.
Staff subsequently staged a walkout, forcing the landmark to close temporarily. Employees demanded assurances that women would never again be removed or replaced at their workplaces because of their gender.
The dispute quickly developed beyond an internal workplace issue, drawing criticism from French political figures and prompting Paris authorities to order investigations into how the visit had been organised.
The City of Paris, which owns the Eiffel Tower, said at the time that the circumstances had to be fully established and that organisations operating public landmarks were expected to uphold equality between women and men.
BAPS had denied allegation
BAPS rejected suggestions that its delegation had asked for women to be removed or concealed.
The organisation said both men and women were part of the visit and maintained that, to its knowledge, nobody was prevented from accessing the Eiffel Tower. It also apologised for any distress or inconvenience caused by the episode.
The delegation of around 100 people had arranged a private visit near the beginning of normal operating hours. BAPS said the timing was coordinated with Eiffel Tower officials because of the size of the group and was intended to minimise inconvenience to other visitors.
The organisation was in France around the time of the inauguration of a BAPS Hindu temple in the Paris region.
Management failures identified
Separate scrutiny of SETE's handling of the episode found a series of operational failures and shortcomings in the organisation of the visit.
SETE acknowledged that female staff had been excluded and said such an outcome was contrary to the company's principles. The operator has since moved to strengthen its internal procedures, including measures and training intended to reinforce gender equality.
The episode has also led to a leadership change. SETE Director General Patrick Branco Ruivo, who has headed the Eiffel Tower operating company since 2018, is due to leave his position at the end of 2026.
His departure followed an independent investigation that found failures in the handling of the visit. SETE has stressed that the exclusion of women was unacceptable regardless of how the instructions originated or were interpreted.
Focus turns to communication
The latest findings add an important distinction to the controversy. While previous investigations and staff accounts established that women were removed or reassigned during the BAPS visit, the City of Paris inquiry found no explicit request from the delegation instructing management to take those steps.
The absence of any written demand has consequently raised questions about how an apparent preference concerning interactions was interpreted, communicated and ultimately transformed into workplace instructions affecting female employees.
That distinction does not erase the treatment experienced by the employees, which SETE itself has acknowledged. It does, however, challenge the suggestion that BAPS had explicitly directed Eiffel Tower management to remove women from the delegation's route.
The investigation therefore leaves the central management failure intact while clarifying responsibility for the instructions: female staff were sidelined, but investigators found no explicit or documented BAPS demand requiring their exclusion.