Friday, October 2, 2026 - A Paris investigation has found no evidence that the Hindu group BAPS explicitly asked the Eiffel Tower to exclude female employees during its September 5 visit.
The finding follows a controversy in which female staff were reportedly moved from several positions while a delegation of about 100 BAPS members toured the landmark. BAPS has maintained that it never requested women be hidden, removed or excluded.
According to the investigation, the original request concerned avoiding physical contact between religious figures and women, but the instruction was expanded as it passed through different levels of the Eiffel Tower's management.
Investigators found that female employees were ultimately removed or replaced at several posts, describing the episode as a chain of errors in judgment, approval and execution. The findings shift attention toward how the request was interpreted and implemented rather than identifying an explicit order from the visiting delegation.
The controversy has already triggered significant consequences at the Eiffel Tower. Staff staged a protest after the incident, temporarily closing the landmark, while Patrick Branco Ruivo, head of the company operating the tower, is due to leave his post at the end of 2026.
BAPS has welcomed the investigation's findings and said it hopes the clarification will help those affected move forward, while the Eiffel Tower operator has acknowledged failures in how the visit was handled.
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